USDA's
Detector Dogs: Protecting American Agriculture
The
AQI Program at Airports
| Many agricultural products are prohibited entry because they can contain foreign animal and plant pests and diseases that could damage U.S. agriculture. |
Recent increases in international travel pose more APHIS PPQ officers make about 2 million interceptions of illegal agricultural
products every year. Included in that total are more than 295,000 lots
of unauthorized meat and animal byproducts that have the potential to
carry diseases to American livestock and poultry. Inspectors also find
nearly 104,000 plant pests and diseases that could have been dangerous
to our agricultural industry. The Beagle Brigade program averages around
75,000 seizures of prohibited agricultural products a year. Some of the busiest FIS areas are at major international airports in
large U.S. cities like New York, Miami, Dallas, and Los Angeles, and it
is in airports such as these that the Beagle Brigade usually works. In
the FIS area, APHIS officers work alongside officers from the U.S. Customs
Service (Customs), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Public
Health Service, and the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS).
All these Federal agencies have various missions and work together to
protect people by enforcing laws and facilitating the entry of passengers
and goods.