Document Shows Utah Homeland Security Consulted Fur Group

From Animal Liberation Frontline

Animal Liberation Frontline obtains agenda for annual Fur Commission meeting.

Following up on last week's posting of an ALF-prevention security manual for fur farmers, I am posting another internal document from the Fur Commission: the agenda for the FCUSA's annual meeting, held every year in Park City, Utah. This is where most of the major decisions affecting fur farmers are made, and the industry's heaviest hitters get together to strategize.

And much of that strategizing is about the animal rights movement. According to the agenda, at least 45 minutes went to "animal rights extremists", which fur farmers have named in a poll as the #1 threat to the survival of their industry.

According to the 2011 agenda, part of this came in the form of a talk by Utah Division of Homeland Security's "intelligence analyst".

View a PDF of the meeting agenda here.

What is the "Utah Division of Homeland Security"? It appears to be a state organization (not federal), but is housed in Utah's "fusion center" - part of the Orwellian trend in which various state and federal law enforcement agencies - previously separate - join together in one building for the purpose of sharing "intelligence".

According to their website, the UDHS's focuses include:

• Intelligence Analysis
• Investigative Case Support
• Risk and Threat Assessment
• Organized Crime &Gang Analysis
• Counter-Terrorism
• Homeland Security Risk Mitigation

Fur industry turns to the law for protection

It would make sense the industry would seek "professional help" at the biggest fur farmer meeting in the country - since 1996, there have been over 90 raids of fur farms by the Animal Liberation Front and others. Last year, the Fur Commission shifted their entire focus from public relations to security, recognizing that the survival of their entire industry could depend on how effectively they could prevent ALF liberations and sabotage.

The rest of the agenda...

According to the agenda, the presentation from the Utah Division of Homeland Security was followed by the Fur Commission's in-house expert on "security and risk analysis". This, presumably, was a talk more specific to securing fur farms against an ALF action.

The rest of the agenda is comprised of general housekeeping (FCUSA "programs report"), and a public relations talk (on "Communicating with Consumers"), followed by dinner (Ghidotti's Classic Italian Restaurant,  6030 N. Market Street Park City, UT). The agenda also names the hotel where the fur farmers stay, where the meeting is held, and more.

View a PDF of the meeting agenda here.