The Agricultural and Food Transporters Conference (ATFC) of the American Trucking Assns. recently established an Avian Flu Task Force to help prepare the trucking industry for the possibility of an influenza pandemic.
“The Task Force was mobilized to map out industry scenarios and to keep abreast of federal, state, local, community and business planning initiatives to deal with a potential pandemic,” said AFTC Executive Director, Fletcher R. Hall. “It will focus on issues as they relate to trucking in general and the movement of agricultural and food products by truck in particular.
“A bird flu outbreak by any measure is of highest importance to ag transporters given that over 87% of all meat and poultry moves by truck across the United States each day,” Hall continued.
The Task Force will coordinate with other agencies and disseminate information to motor carriers, particularly commercial transporters of food and agricultural commodities.
"The Task Force will address this potential pandemic, or any degree of outbreak, in terms of industry preparedness, incident planning, and the development of contingency processes, industry communications and information," Hall said.
For more information, go to www.pandemicflu.gov, or contact Fletcher Hall at [email protected].