Safeguarding

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Safeguarding American Agriculture and Natural
Resources
United States Department of Agriculture Animal
and Plant Health Inspection Service Plant
Protection and Quarantine
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Our Mission
Safeguarding U.S. Agriculture and Natural
Resources

• To ensure an abundant, high-quality, and varied
  food supply
• To strengthen the marketability of U.S.
  agriculture
• To preserve U.S. ecosystems and protect against
  invasive species

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PPQs Goal
mitigating pest risks, domestically and abroad,
through exclusion, intensive surveillance, early
detection, and containment of pests and diseases
before they can spread.
Dr. Richard Dunkle Former PPQ Deputy
Administrator
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Who We Are

• We are a diverse range of professionals dedicated
  to conserving, protecting, and enhancing American
  agriculture.
• From botanists to virologists, accountants to
  writers, were all part of a historic tradition
  and a challenging future.

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What We Do

• Keep foreign plant pests out of the United States
• Document the presence of plant pests within the
  United States
• Ensure safe agricultural trade by removing
  unjustified pest-related trade barriers
• Detect, control, or eradicate foreign plant pests

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Why We Keep Out Foreign Pests

• More than 6,500 nonnative species are established
  in the United States.
• More than 900 or 1/7 of these species are
  economically or environmentally harmful.
• Harmful nonnative species cost billions of
  dollars in control or loss of marketable goods.
• Harmful nonnative species affect agriculture,
  forestry, human health, and tourism.

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How We Keep Out Foreign Pests

• Establish risk-based import regulations and
  policies for agricultural commodities (e.g.,
  produce, plants, craft products)
• Inspect and treat agricultural commodities for
  pests in their country of origin prior to export
  to the United States
• At inspection stations, inspect propagative
  material imported into the United States, taking
  appropriate action when pests are detected

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How We Ensure Safe Agricultural Trade

• Establish import regulations and policies for
  goods imported into the United States
• Issue import and interstate movement permits for
  plant pests
• Review plant health certificates issued by
  exporting countries for imported goods
• Monitor trade of endangered or threatened species
• Issue plant health certificates for agricultural
  goods exported from the United States

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How We Detect, Control, or Eradicate Plant Pests
and Diseases

• Excluding foreign pests, when possible, is our
  goal.
• If barriers fail, early detection of the pest is
  the next best strategy.
• Early detection assures
• Faster and cheaper control
• Availability of more control strategies
• Greater possibility of success

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Elements of Pest Response Program

• Survey (Where are the pests?)
• Identification (What are they?)
• Regulation to prevent spread
• Bans movement of materials with a quarantine
• Restricts movement of materials through permits
• Control or eradication
• Host removal
• Pesticides
• Agricultural production practices
• Biological control
• Sterile insect release

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Some Ongoing Emergency Programs

• Karnal bunt
• Fungal disease of wheat detected in Arizona,
  California, and Texas
• Citrus canker
• Bacterial disease of citrus detected in Florida
• Exotic fruit flies
• Agricultural pests threatening more than 250 U.S.
  crops
• Asian longhorned beetle
• Wood-boring insect threatening the survival of
  hardwood trees

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Asian Longhorned Beetle

• Wood-boring insect native to China
• Hitch-hiked to United States in wooden pallets
  and crates
• Cause of destruction of more than
• 7,156 trees in New York City
• 1,770 trees in Chicago
• 461 trees in Jersey City, NJ
• Many trees in Worcester, MA

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Our Partners in ALB Response

• U.S. Department of Agricultures Forest Service
• State Departments of Agriculture
• Local governments where infestations occur

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PPQ Structure

• Each state has a State Plant Health Director.
• There are two regional offices. Raleigh, NC
  (Eastern Region) and Ft. Collins, CO (Western
  Region).
• National HQ is in Riverdale, MD.

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PPQ Domestic Programs

• Noxious Weeds (regulate Federal Noxious Weeds)
• Forest Pests Gypsy Moth, Pine Shoot Beetle,
  Emerald Ash Borer, Sirex noctilio, Phytophthora
  ramorum, etc.
• Nematodes Golden Nematode in NY, Potato Cyst
  Nematode in ID.
• Biological Control
• Imported Fire Ant
• Citrus Diseases
• Cotton Pests

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Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey (CAPS)

• Our main exotic pest survey.
• Our contribution to Homeland Defense.
• Focus is on looking for pests not known to occur.
• In past years was pest specific now moving to
  more commodity-based surveys.
• Work closely with state departments of ag to do
  the work.

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Contact Information

• State Plant Health Directors are always a good
  first start.
• Eastern Region Domestic Sr. Program Manager
  Billy Newton 919-855-7335.
• Western Region Domestic Sr. Program Manager Tim
  McNary 970-494-7570.

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For More Information

• Please visit our Web site at http//www.aphis.usda
  .gov/ppq