NASDA Urges Funding for Agriculture Security
News Date March 27, 2006
NASDA sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Michael Chertoff on March 23 urging the administration to support the states' efforts on agriculture emergency preparedness and to encourage interstate collaboration. The letter is a follow-up to previous correspondence in November 2005 with recommendations from NASDA's Food and Agriculture Security Committee.
NASDA has expressed concern about the overall decreased funding available to states under the FY06 Homeland Security Grant program and states' abilities to prepare for emergencies affecting the food and agriculture. The Homeland Security Grant program is currently one of the only sources of funding to states to support preparedness in the food and agriculture sectors. Specifically, NASDA recommends that the risk calculation, which is one of two components that will be used to determine each state's allocation under the FY06 Homeland Security Grant program, fully considers the risks, vulnerabilities, and impacts associated with threats to the food and agriculture sector. NASDA also urged DHS to address the mechanisms for reviewing and awarding grants for multi-state partnerships for homeland security activities. The letter has been posted on the NASDA website. (Contact: Charlie Ingram)