When it comes to foreign animal diseases, the most critical question isn’t if there will be an outbreak, it is whether you have the right plans, policies, and procedures in place when it happens. With more than 50 years of combined experience managing the risks of foreign animal disease, SES is a leader in emergency response program development for food and agriculture. We offer exercises and training for all types of FADs including foot and mouth disease and African Swine Fever.
According to a report published in Nature, the risk of an ASF outbreak in the U.S. has nearly doubled in 2019. USDA research identifies a combination of factors that have increased the risk of foreign animal disease outbreaks, including free trade agreements, regionalization, increased international passenger travel, intensification of animal production, evolution of infectious agents, and the uncertain impact of biotechnology and bioterrorism.
To help both public and private organizations prepare for emergency response, SES has developed a suite of consulting services based on our extensive experience with emergency preparedness efforts related to foreign animal disease outbreaks.
For State Agriculture Departments:
Set your program up for success with expert consulting services that will help you optimize your potential Farm Bill funding, state budgets, and staff hours. Our emergency preparedness and mitigation program design services include the following:
- Expert review of your current foreign animal disease plans, policies, and procedures, all relative to current federal plans, policies, and procedures (seamless interoperability will be a key component of a successful mitigation program and response)
- One week of on-site meetings with your team leadership, emergency management personnel, and program managers to evaluate your current program goals, hurdles, desired outcomes, budget, staff knowledge, culture, and key agriculture industries
- Facilitation of a training and exercise planning workshop to meet your mitigation/preparedness goals and objectives
- Identification of the seminars, workshops, drills, and tabletops, functional and full-scale exercises required to support an effective training and response program
- A detailed report outlining:
- Suggested organizational structure for a response
- How to maximize existing personnel
- Suggestions for additional personnel or partnerships
- Evaluation of your existing plans, policies, and procedures
- Best practice guidance to improve the efficacy of a response
- Options for assistance, including existing plans, policies, or procedures to model
- Personnel training needs
- Top resources for personnel training
- Added value recommendations including grant opportunities, sources of assistance, and top emergency preparedness contacts
For Food Industry and Producers:
Protect livestock and profits with SES’s strategic services. We can help you identify where your operation is most at risk and develop the right training and mitigation program. ASF and other foreign animal disease outbreaks have cost billions of dollars in loss of livestock, trade, and profits. Emergency preparedness enables your operation to minimize risks and gain a competitive advantage in the event of a foreign animal disease outbreak. SES can provide the following services to help you create or improve your emergency preparedness plans:
- Identification of critical control points for your production, relative to natural and manmade disasters, including a foreign animal disease outbreak (supply chain resiliency assessments)
- Review of current risk mitigation polices and their interoperability with current state and federal plans, policies, and procedures
- Training program development and implementation
- Development of emergency response or mitigation plans and SOPs
- Assessment of program implementation/maintenance at the processing or producer level
- Development of Secure Food Supply infrastructure and associated plans
- Exercise development and facilitation
- Development of continuity of operations plans (COOP)
- Organization and business planning relative to foreign animal disease outbreaks