AVMA supports inclusion of agriculture in national response plan

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The AVMA has adopted the following position statement on "Emergency Support Function(s) for Agricultural Production, and Animal and Plant Health:"

The American Veterinary Medical Association supports the addition of one or more agricultural production, and animal and plant health emergency support function(s) (ESF) to the National Response Plan (NRP).

On May 22, 2003, Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman requested that the Department of Homeland Security add agricultural production and animal and plant health as official emergency support functions to the Federal Response Plan.

The department is developing a single, comprehensive national incident management system, to be known at the National Response Plan, instead of the Federal Response Plan.

To the extent that that system will incorporate the current emergency support function structure, agricultural production and animal and plant health should be included as one or more of the support functions.

After reviewing Veneman's request, the Committee on Disaster and Emergency Issues thought the AVMA should support the secretary's concept. To that end, the committee recommended the position statement that the Executive Board approved.