Safeguarding America's Bounty

Plant Protection and Quarantine

September 2002

In today's global marketplace, the borders between countries are beginning to disappear.  International travel and trade take place in larger numbers and with fewer restrictions than ever before, bringing an average of 250,000 people into the United States each day.  However, this huge volume of people and products often unknowingly bring with them real threats to American agricultural and natural resources.  These threats include foreign pests and diseases that could devastate this country's largest industry.

Protecting America's vast agricultural and natural resources from attack by invasive pests and diseases is the job of the United States Department of Agriculture«s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service«s (APHIS) Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) program. 

PPQ inspectors work across the country at more than 110 ports to screen all passenger baggage, mail, ship and airline stores and food supplies, vehicles, and cargo for prohibited agricultural products and associated materials that may harbor exotic pests or diseases.  These pests and diseases could threaten the abundance and variety of the U.S. food supply, damage our natural resources, and cost American taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars for higher priced food and fiber products and the cost of control and eradication programs.  In some areas, such as Hawaii, PPQ conducts preclearance inspections before travelers leave the island to ensure a faster entry into the United States.

In fiscal year (FY) 1999, nearly 2,000 PPQ inspectors, with help from detector dogs in the USDA's Beagle Brigade, which sniff luggage for hidden fruits and vegetables, cleared more than half a billion travelers and millions of pieces of luggage for entry into the United States.  Almost 100,000 aircraft that brought passengers and cargo to this country also underwent PPQ inspections. 

Travelers entering the United States are just one way foreign pests and diseases make their way into this country.  Cargo and packages mailed from foreign countries also contain prohibited agricultural items.  In FY 1999, PPQ conducted over 2 million inspections of commercial cargo shipments and approximately 500,000 inspections of mail parcels.

From these inspections, PPQ intercepted over 2 million illegal agricultural products.  In the intercepted agricultural products, inspectors found over 55,000 foreign pests and diseases dangerous to American agriculture.

All prohibited items seized during inspections are examined, rendered harmless, and destroyed in an incinerator or grinder.  Large cargo shipments of agricultural goods found to be ineligible for entry may be subject to treatment or may have to return to the country of origin.

In recent years, the number of illegal agricultural products smuggled into the United States has increased.  In response to this increase, PPQ created the Smuggling Interdiction and Trade Compliance (SITC) program.  Along with several Federal, State, and private organizations, SITC officers ensure compliance with U.S. agricultural import laws.  They work with PPQ inspectors around the country at ports-of-entry to discover and close the pathways through which prohibited commodities enter the United States.

Traveling to the United States

Travelers are often surprised when told that their "one little piece of fruit or meat" can cause serious damage.  In fact, one piece of fruit or meat may contain many microscopic pests, and one carelessly discarded item can devastate American crops.  For example, it«s quite likely that a traveler carried in the wormy fruit that brought Mediterranean fruit flies to California in 1979.  The 3-year fight to eradicate this pest cost more than $100 million.

Fruits, Vegetables, and Plants—Travelers may bring in some fruits, vegetables, and plants without advance permission, provided they are declared, inspected, and found free of pests.  However, a permit is needed in advance to bring in certain plants and plant parts intended for growing. 

Meat and Animal Products—Regulations prohibit travelers from bringing fresh, dried, and canned meats and meat products from most foreign countries.  Animal disease organisms, such as those that cause foot-and-mouth disease and classical swine fever, can live for months in sausage and other types of meat, including many types of canned meat from foreign countries.  Commercially canned meat is allowed if the inspector can determine from the label that the meat was cooked in the can after it was sealed to make it shelf-stable without refrigeration.

Soil, Sand, Minerals, and Shells—Since soil-borne organisms threaten both plants and animals, soil, earth, and sand will be denied entry to the United States.  Agriculture inspectors may have to disinfect the clothes and shoes of any traveler who visited a farm or ranch overseas. 

PPQ officers also inspect and supervise the cleaning of all military equipment and troop supplies when the U.S. military personnel return from missions outside the country.

Live Animals and Birds—Fruits, vegetables, and meats aren't the only products that carry harmful diseases into this country.  Live animals and birds can harbor diseases such as exotic Newcastle disease, which is highly contagious.

Live animals and birds can enter the United States if they have the proper certification, permits, inspections, and meet the quarantine rules that vary with the animal and its origin.  Certain animals brought from some countries pose different risks, such as dogs from Central and South America, which can be infested with screwworm.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regulates the importation of certain animal species and has specific regulations regarding pets (including cats and dogs) and nonhuman primates.  CDC requires that pet dogs and cats appear healthy upon visual inspection at the port-of-entry.  Cats may be imported without further restriction.  Dogs coming from a country not free of rabies must be accompanied by proof that their rabies vaccination is current and was administered at least 30 days before arrival in the United States.  Young puppies may be imported without proof of rabies vaccination; however, they must be confined at a place of the owner's choosing until they are 3 months old and then vaccinated.  Confinement must then continue for 30 days.  Monkeys and other nonhuman primates may not be imported as pets under any circumstances. 

Pet birds purchased abroad for personal use can enter the United States. They are also subject to restrictions by some State departments of agriculture, and they must be quarantined by the USDA for 30 days.  Quarantine arrangements must be made well in advance because facilities are limited and available only at certain ports. 

As today's global marketplace continues to open borders between countries, the opportunities for worldwide travel and trade are on the rise.  With this increase comes the threat of foreign invasive pests and diseases entering the United States and damaging our agricultural industry and natural resources.  The 2,000 APHIS inspectors stationed at 110 ports-of-entry make up the first line of defense for this country's agriculture.  Through the rigorous inspection process, APHIS helps to safeguard American agriculture, including the 2 million farms in the United States and the food budget and nutritional choices of every American consumer.

For more information on APHIS' safeguarding efforts, as well as additional APHIS programs, visit the APHIS Website at www.aphis.usda.gov. 

                                      Inspections and Interceptions in FY 1999

                     Inspections
                                       Cargo                                                                       2,126,615
                                       Passengers/Crew                                               93,895,028
                                       Aircraft/Ships                                                              958,499
                                       Mail/Packages                                                            510,754
                      Total number of Inspections                                             97,490,896

                       Interceptions of illegal agricultural Products
                                       Plant Material                                                          1,757,519
                                       Meat/Poultry Products                                               288,461
                                       Animal Byproducts                                                       13,196
                      Total number of Interceptions                                             2,059,176

                      Total number of invasive pests found                                     54,551

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 USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD).

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

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