Courtesy of NAA:

Animal welfare and animal rights organizations are increasingly targeting aquaculture farms and processors in the United States. These groups are pursuing anti-aquaculture legislation, organizing protests on farms, and covertly infiltrating farms as both visitors and employees. Check out NAA’s Safeguarding the Future of Animal Agriculture webinar recording to hear all the latest trends and tips from the Animal Agriculture Alliance.

Managing Facility Security and Public Visitation

It is common for a farm or processing plant to have several planned and unplanned visitors in and out throughout the day. Trespassers will take advantage of this and have been known to arrive on farms claiming to be USDA representatives or vendor company personnel. It is important to verify the identity of any unexpected visitors. Don’t be afraid to ask for credentials or other forms of identification.

If you do have a visitor on the farm, escort them at all times. Make sure all family members and employees know how to handle an unexpected visitor. Have a written protocol in place and review it with everyone who works at the farm.

There have been recent incidents of unauthorized individuals gaining access to farms by trespassing, breaking into barns at night, taking photos from nearby public property or using drones. It is important to post no trespassing signs and report details of any suspicious behavior to law enforcement.

Follow these tips to better protect you facility from these common security threats:

• Lock office doors and file cabinets.
• Have firewalls installed on your computer systems.
• Maintain separate business and personal computers.
• Keep all animal health products under lock and key.
• Have proper lighting, motion detectors, security cameras, and locks or key code access on gates and doors.
• Maintain fencing and gates in good condition and post signs indicating restricted areas, no trespassing, etc.
• Ensure access to the facility is controlled.
  • Establish check-in procedures for visitors.
  • Place appropriate signs noting such procedures and require visitors to sign in and out upon entering and leaving facility.
  • Use visitor identification badges – even the stick-on kind is better than nothing. This protects your visitor as well as your operation.
  • Escort visitors (especially reporters and photographers/videographers) at all times.
• Instruct employees to report all unescorted visitors to the appropriate management and security personnel immediately.

Working with Law Enforcement

Farmers and processors should develop proactive discussions with local law enforcement about the threat of animal rights activism. Identify and contact local law enforcement offices. Let them see your facility first-hand and explain potent threats. Learn local ordinances regarding protests and trespassing, and ask law enforcement how to proactively protect yourself. Identify individuals and groups of concern and develop a plan.

Establishing a relationship with local law enforcement and having advanced discussions with them has been shown to make a considerable difference in effectively managing protests or other activist incidents in real-time. Do not wait until a situation occurs to call the police!

Follow these tips to better protect you facility from these common security threats:

• Talk seriously with your local police/fire/emergency departments now. Get to know the people whose job it is to protect you, your loved ones and your property. Let them know you’re prioritizing your facility’s security and be sure to report any eco or animal rights criminal activity.
• It is imperative you know whom to call if necessary.
  • Know response times.
  • Know how many officers are on duty during early morning hours, prime time for ‘hits’ on rural facilities.
• Provide law enforcement with a map of your facilities.
  • Be sure to indicate service shut-off locations, security areas, and any area of sensitivity or vulnerability.
• Report all suspicious and/or illegal incidents to local police.

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