| Food and Agriculture Sector Coordinating
Council
The Food and
Agriculture Sector Coordinating Council (FASCC) is comprised
of up to 21 representatives from the Food and Agriculture
Sector. The self-governing body represents the Food
and Agriculture Sector to the government and makes policy
and strategy recommendations to the Federal government.
The 21 representatives
are elected by seven sub-councils. The FASCC meets quarterly
with the Government Coordinating Council (GCC) and members
regularly meet with one another in other capacities.
Following the
FASCC-GCC joint session held January 24, 2006, a new
meeting schedule was introduced. In place of the previously
held quarterly meetings, the sector will now conduct
two tabletop exercises per year and hold two quarterly
joint sessions. These exercises are meant to encompass
the decision-making process, communication, and coordination
of multiple agencies and the private sector.
The private
sector continues to be very active in other areas as
well. The FASCC's 2006 goals include:
- Enhance
and improve two-way communications;
- Establish
emergency food distribution and feeding corps;
- Conduct
tabletop exercises with sector; and
- Establish
understanding of what constitutes an asset structure
for agriculture and food systems.
In addition, the private sector participates in a variety
of activities both independently and in partnership
with the government. Among these are Strategic Partnership
Program Agroterrorism (SPPA) assessments in partnership
with FDA and USDA, review of the NIPP and development
of the Sector-Specific Plan in partnership with DHS,
FDA, and USDA, discussions on Avian
Influenza, and introduction of programs such as
OK 4-72, an awareness campaign on disaster preparedness
within industry.
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