United States Department of Agriculture
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
APHIS Overall Enforcement Summary
In fiscal year (FY) 2017, APHIS Investigative and Enforcement Services (IES) opened 1,734 new cases; APHIS issued 523 official warnings, issued 420 pre-litigation settlements resulting in the collection of $558,896 in stipulated penalties, and obtained administrative orders assessing $837,325 in civil penalties. On average, APHIS IES completed all investigated cases in 389 days. (IES considers a case complete after it issues an official warning, issues a voluntary settlement to which the recipient agrees, finds there is insufficient evidence to support enforcement action, or refers a case to the USDA Office of the General Counsel.)
| Totals | FY 2016 | FY 2017 | FY 2018 (through 3rd quarter) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cases Initiated | 2,154 | 1,734 | 1,014 |
| Warnings | 1,320 | 523 | 193 |
| Settlement Agreements | 458 | 420 | 370 |
| Stipulated Penalties Assessed | $728,602 | $558,896 | $485,007 |
| Non-Monetary Stipulations | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| Referrals to OGC | 87 (alleged violators) 67 (cases) |
398 (alleged violators) |
9 (alleged violators) 5 (cases) |
| Administrative Complaints | 48 | 192 | 2 |
| Administrative Decisions | 80 | 135 | 48 |
| Civil Penalties Assessed | $3,914,999 | $837,325 | $226,350 |