Plant Protection Today: USDA & CBP’s Joint Agency Strategic Plan Will Maximize Mission Success
Protecting American Agriculture and Natural Resources while Maintaining the Flow of Trade and Travel
By April Dawson
America’s two premier Federal agencies for agricultural protection—APHIS and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)—released their new strategic plan for 2022 – 2026 in November. It addresses areas of joint operation where additional focus will move the Agricultural Quarantine Inspection (AQI) program forward in protecting the Nation’s agriculture, environment, and economy.
The AQI program plays a critical role in protecting U.S. agriculture and the environment by preventing the introduction and spread of potentially devastating plant pests and animal and plant diseases. It protects America’s 1.1 trillion-dollar agricultural and food economy, the 2 million farms across the country, and the 331 million people living in the United States that rely on agricultural security to survive.
“This 5-year plan highlights the top priorities and strategic goals of the combined APHIS-CBP agricultural mission, which will help us deliver the AQI program with maximum efficiency and effectiveness,” said Matt Rhoads, PPQ’s Associate Deputy Administrator of Pest Exclusion and Import Policy. “The plan employs strategies such as risk-based approaches to identify and target high-risk pathways and align resources, enhance program management and infrastructure, and strengthen partnerships and outreach efforts with our various trade entities.”
APHIS and CBP work together at the Nation’s borders and ports of entry to carry out all AQI program activities to intercept and exclude any foreign agricultural pests that could affect U.S. agriculture, trade, and commerce. This joint mission is outlined under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and USDA 2003 Memorandum of Agreement.
Under this agreement, APHIS is responsible for:
- Developing regulations, policy, and procedures for the AQI program
- Providing risk analysis guidance
- Setting inspection protocols
- Inspecting imported propagative material
- Identifying pests found during APHIS and CBP inspections
- Training the AQI workforce across both agencies
- Managing AQI user fee funds
CBP oversees operations at over 300 U.S. ports of entry and manages the daily inspection and targeting of agricultural products, conveyances, international mail, and passengers to protect against the entry of exotic pests and diseases.
The Joint Agency Task Force drafted the plan. Task force members include senior executives and program directors from PPQ and CBP’s Agriculture Programs and Trade Liaison. These Government leaders directly oversee the AQI program, which includes management of the user fee collection and the policy and operations governing the inspection of passengers, conveyances, international mail, and agricultural cargo for exotic plant pests and plant and animal diseases.
“In this joint mission, the strategic plan (7.89 MB) will guide program activities and set the program’s focus for the next 5 years, driving planning and setting mission priorities,” Rhoads said. “Right now, we have multiple joint agency teams developing action plans that will determine work unit priorities at U.S. ports of entry and at APHIS, as well as to enhance the overall management of the program.”
The plan has three goals:
- Apply risk-based approaches to identify and target high-risk pathways and align resources
- Enhance program management and infrastructure
- Strengthen partnerships and enhance outreach efforts with trade entities to advance compliance
“The three goals we chose are meant to address multiple key areas of program management: the mission, program infrastructure, and key partnerships we can leverage through communication,” said Nidhi Singla, Director of CBP’s Agriculture Programs and Trade Liaison and a member of the Joint Agency Task Force. “These goals also tie very closely to specific goals in both APHIS’ and CBP’s agency-level strategic plans and address the drivers and challenges we are facing in the import arena.”
Every year, invasive insects and plant diseases cost the United States over $40 billion in lost crop and forest production. Invasive pest and disease incursions can also result in foreign export markets closing to U.S. agricultural products. In calendar year 2021, U.S. agricultural exports were worth a record-breaking $177 billion. APHIS and CBP are on the front lines combating these threats every day through the AQI program.
Millions of people are counting on APHIS and CBP to maintain the flow of trade and travel while protecting our Nation’s farms, forests, and food supply from foreign pest and disease threats. We won’t let them down. Together, the two agencies can continue to effectively protect American agriculture and natural resources while facilitating trade in products that pose risks to agriculture.
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APHIS protects the health of U.S. agriculture and natural resources against invasive pests and diseases, regulates genetically engineered crops, administers the Animal Welfare Act, and helps people and wildlife coexist. We also certify the health of U.S. agricultural exports and resolve phytosanitary and sanitary issues to open, expand, and maintain markets for U.S plant and animal products.
USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.