Each day at airports all over the country, international travelers encounter a special forces unit of USDA: the Beagle Brigade. Members of this unit have great noses, sunny dispositions, green jackets, and lots of fur. Beagle Brigade dogs work in teams with PPQ officers in a partnership to protect American agriculture.

The approximately 1,800 APHIS inspectors stationed at more than 100 ports of entry make up the first line of protection for the Nation's largest industry, agriculture. The Beagle Brigade teams help detect prohibited agricultural products in passenger baggage and help educate the public about USDA and its mission. Through the inspection process, using innovative programs like the Beagle Brigade, APHIS officers help safeguard U.S. agriculture, the 2.1 million farms in the United States, and the food budget and nutritional choices of every American consumer

To find out more about the Beagle Brigade, check out the APHIS homepage on the Internet at http://www.aphis.usda.gov. The map on pages 6 and 7 of this brochure shows the locations that have Beagle Brigade teams. You can call the APHIS PPQ office in those areas to get in touch with the PPQ canine officers. You can also write to Beagle Brigade c/o USDA APHIS Legislative and Public Affairs, Unit 51, 4700 River Road, Riverdale, MD 20737­1232. Your letters will be forwarded to the appropriate person. For recorded traveler information, please call 1-866-SAFGUARD.

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The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA¹s TARGET Center at (202) 720­2600 (voice and TDD).

To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326­W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250­9410 or call (202) 720­5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Issued December 1996
Revised October 2001