USDA APHIS Caribbean Safeguarding Initiative CSI

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USDA APHISCaribbean Safeguarding Initiative
(CSI) Emerging Safeguarding Challenges in a
Shifting Trade Environment
United States Department of Agriculture Animal
and Plant Health Inspection Service Plant
Protection and Quarantine
Interstate Pest Control Compact 2008 Mid year
Meeting Washington, DC February 10, 2008 Bob
Balaam Offshore Initiatives Coordinator, USDA
APHIS PPQ
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CSIis a coordinated approach to safeguarding
in the Greater Caribbean Region.
Caribbean Safeguarding Initiative
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Why Has APHIS Created CSI? Existing Problems
Opportunities

• Bad News (Problems) at onset of CSI - early
  2006
• Greater Caribbean poses unique regional threat
• Defined by past invasion events
• Limited capacity of safeguarding systems no
  functional RPPO in Caribbean
• APHIS safeguarding goals hampered
• Strategic APHIS offshore direction lacking
• Internal communication not coordinated
• Information systems not meeting user needs
• Good News (Opportunities)
• Significant opportunities exist for offshore risk
  reduction or mitigation
• Close proximity collaborators transfer
  technology to US
• APHIS personnel present in region to assist with
  coordination
• APHIS has ability and can offer to provide
  multinational strategic direction
• Creation of CRISIS presents significant
  opportunity for solutions
• Recognition of regional problem
• Identification of strategic regional solution

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Basic Safeguarding System Elements
Permits
Exclusion
Pest Detection Rapid Response
International Risk Management
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• Safeguarding Review
• offshore pest mitigation recommendations
• CSI
• an effective offshore pest mitigation action plan

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Private Yachts
PATHWAYS
Fruits Vegetables
Tourism / Passengers
Propagative Material
Cut Flowers
Panama Canal
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Goal of USDA APHIS CSI

• Target and reduce the risk
• of plant pests
• establishing in the United States
• through the Florida pathway.

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CSI Offshore Focus on SafeguardingSummary

• Regulatory outreach capacity building
• Pest risk identification and notification
• Pest detection
• Pest mitigation

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Unified Team Effort
Linkage to Foreign Ministries of Agriculture

• APHIS PPQ (Florida, Eastern Region, CPHST,
  Headquarters)
• APHIS International Services (IS) Caribbean,
  Central America, and South America
• USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS)
• State of Florida (FDACS DPI)
• University of Florida (IFAS)
• Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University
  (FAMU)

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Offices and personnel Projects
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Objectives

• Coordination
• Strategic direction
• Centralized focus of participants
• Organized structure
• Leveraging Resources
• Offshore Information
• Focused Exclusion
• Focused Domestic Survey
• Offshore Mitigation
• Regulatory Outreach (Capacity Building)

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CSI Projects

• Regulatory Outreach to Exporting Countries
  Compliance through Education
• Offshore Pest Information Program Caribbean
  Guidelines
• APHIS International Services (IS) Risk
  Notification System
• APHIS International Services (IS) Clean Stock
  Program
• Biological Threat Advisory Group
• Offshore Pest Mitigation
• Caribbean Invasive Species Surveillance and
  Information Program (CISSIP)
• Offshore Pest Detection

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Regulatory Outreach to Exporting Countries
Compliance through Education
Foreign and Domestic Outreach Seminars

• Mission of PPQ and CBP
• Understanding APHIS regulations
• Inspection process
• Sampling methodology
• Taxonomic support services
• Port of entry mitigations
• Role of brokers, airlines, and other agents

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Offshore Pest Information ProgramCaribbean
Guidelines

• Pest monitoring select targets
• Caribbean area exotic fruit fly - survey
• Mollusk pest surveys survey
• Scirtothrips dorsalis, Raoiella indica
  detection, control/eradication
• Emerging pests risk identification
• Technical assistance capacity building
• Offshore mitigation

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Risk Notification System

• Keep foreign ministries informed of pest
  interceptions (propagative material, cut flowers,
  fruits and vegetables, other)
• APHIS identifies risk through US Port of Entry
  interceptions
• APHIS officials in foreign country are key
  contacts
• Work with foreign growers to reduce pest risk

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Clean Stock Pilot ProgramAPHIS MAG - CATIE
Systems Approach

• Dracaena plants - Costa Rica
• 10 current grower participants
• Focus on Cicadellids (leafhoppers), Tettigonids
  (grasshoppers), scales and snails
• Components Research, inspection, data
  management
• Industry (Costa Rica and US) wants US market
  for oversized dracaena plants
• APHIS wants improved certification process in
  Costa Rica and reduced risk of pest introduction
• Pest interceptions at US ports of entry decreased
  significantly since initiation of program (CSP
  growers).

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Biological Threat Advisory Group

• South Florida port risk committees participants -
  APHIS, Customs Border Protection, and Florida
  Department of Agriculture
• Objectives identify, manage, and mitigate pest
  and disease risk at South Florida ports of entry
• Data analysis
• Risk assessments
• Risk management planning
• Resource allocation
• Cooperation with Puerto Rico port risk committee

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Offshore Pest Mitigation

• Design and development of pest surveys
• Mollusk pests (survey) Giant African snail,
  Jamaican slug, Cuban slug, etc.
• Fruit flies establish trapping programs and
  train cooperators
• Passionvine mealybug determine distribution,
  hosts, natural enemies
• Coffee mealybug strategy similar to Passionvine
  mealybug planned
• Red palm mite - determine distribution, hosts,
  natural enemies

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Offshore Pest Mitigation (continued)

• Chemical control Specific offshore mitigation
  strategies
• Giant African snail and Cuban garden snail
  chemical trials in Barbados
• Biological control Specific offshore mitigation
  strategies
• Pigeon pea pod fly Puerto Rico
• West Indian fruit fly Dominican Republic,
  Puerto Rico, and Barbados
• Pink hibiscus mealybug Cayman Islands and
  Jamaica
• Red palm mite Puerto Rico and other islands
  (and now in Florida)

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Caribbean Invasive SpeciesSurveillance and
Information Program(CISSIP)

• Regional program specifically supports CRISIS
• CISWG supported CARICOM/COTED approved seek
  funding
• Three broad functions/components
• pest survey and inspection
• digital diagnostics
• information and communication web based
• 5 Year pilot project - 6 countries in Year 1
  expand to 5 additional countries in Year 3
• Funding yet to be obtained PROPOSED
• We can start using existing resources

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Offshore Pest Detection

• Panama Canal Zone Sentinel Survey Program
• Establish target pest lists relevant to area
  countries and US
• Improve current survey methods
• Facilitate information exchange
• Improve pest diagnostics
• Central America Pest Survey Program (CAPS CA)
• Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama
• Coordination (Pest Coordinator)
• Pest list development
• Pest risk analysis (survey methods)
• Data management
• Public outreach and education
• Field surveys

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CSI Offshore Focus on SafeguardingSummary

• Regulatory outreach capacity building
• Pest risk identification and notification
• Pest detection
• Pest mitigation

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Questions?
Comments?
Robert.J.Balaam_at_aphis.usda.gov