Yesterday, The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) and the Ag Retailers Association (ARA) sent a memo to their members and to state associations like IFCA announcing the availability of a new Compliance Assessment Tool that ag retailers can utilize free of charge to help them determine if they are meeting all the federal requirements for the storage and handling of agrichemicals.  The government and the public are asking a lot of questions following the tragedy in West, Texas that took the lives of 15 people, most of them local emergency responders.  It is critical that our industry participates in immediate stewardship efforts to assure our federal and state governments and our communities that we are fully aware of the regulations that govern ag retail facilities and are ensuring compliance with these regulations. 

 

Please click here http://ifca.com/media/TFI%20ARA%20Compliance%20Tool.pdf to view the TFI/ARA joint memo.  The link to the Compliance Assessment tool is in the memo but can also be accessed here http://www.asmark.org/ComplianceAssessmentTool

 

The compliance assessment tool is an on-line program and its purpose is to provide an easy method for ag retailers to become fully aware of regulatory requirements based on what you are storing at your facility.  Upon completing the tool, you can then assess the areas where you may need to strengthen your compliance efforts and can seek help from many sources in that effort, including the IFCA.  We encourage our members to take the time to use the tool; it may provide great peace of mind, and it may help highlight areas where more can be done to uphold the strong stewardship values in our industry.  The government and the public are requesting this level of assurance and that is why TFI and ARA are jointly making this request.  If you have any questions about the assessment tool or need help with any compliance issues, please contact IFCA for guidance.