In the Kansas Response Plan, the Kansas Department of Agriculture is the primary coordinating agency for Emergency Support Function 11 – Agriculture and Natural Resources. In this role, the Department is responsible for coordinating the activities of a variety of state agencies in order to ensure a coordinated response to disasters that require the activation of the State Emergency Operations Center. Examples of an ESF 11 response include sending food safety inspectors to shelters that have been established to ensure that food served is safe for consumption. Another example is the expedited provision of regulatory inspections after a disaster so that businesses are able to open as soon as they are ready. Most of our ESF 11 partners are housed within the Department, but we also work closely with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks and Tourism and several other state agencies who manage various nutrition assistance programs.
The Department has also published the Food and Agriculture Incident Annex which is part of the Kansas Response Plan. This annex describes roles and responsibilities of various KDA divisions and programs in leading a response to a food contamination, plant health, or animal disease incident. The annex is revised by KDA on an annual basis and includes participation of all agencies and stakeholders with responsibilities outlined in the annex.