Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

Smuggling Interdiction and Trade Compliance

Stopping

Smuggling

AND

Promoting

Safe Trade

On the Watch for

U.S. Agriculture

REPORT AGRICULTURAL SMUGGLING AT:

1-800-877-3835 or SITC.Mail@aphis.usda.gov
Global trade and travel—vast, 

fast-paced, and constantly growing— 

bring increased risks for one of 

our country’s greatest resources: 

agriculture. 

While the wide array of foreign foods, plants, 

and processed products available in the U.S. 

marketplace enriches our lives, these items 

can also carry invasive pests and diseases that 

do not yet have a foothold in America. Most 

foreign products enter the United States legally, 

through a system of certifications, treatments, 

and inspections designed to keep agricultural 

pests and diseases out of the country. However, 

products occasionally bypass that system and 

enter the United States illegally, in some cases 

because of deliberate efforts to smuggle them.

Pests and diseases in infested shipments can 

devastate our country’s agricultural production 

and the American landscape. Exotic fruit flies, 

non-native wood-boring insects, invasive 

weeds, and foreign animal diseases are just a 

few examples of the intruders that could come 

into the country this way, with staggering costs 

for the United States: billions in lost production 

and export markets, millions more for pest and 

disease management expenses, increased
prices for food and other agricultural goods, and

often serious damage to our native ecosystem.

Most of the time, pests and diseases can travel

far distances—across oceans and national

borders—only with help from people. Mailing

or shipping agricultural goods or carrying them

with you on your travels may seem harmless,

but without knowing it, you could end up

helping invasive pests or diseases hitchhike

to new locations. To reduce this threat, the

Smuggling Interdiction and Trade Compliance

(SITC) program, part of the U.S. Department of

Agriculture (USDA), continuously monitors the

movement of foreign agricultural products in

commerce. One of our most important partners

in this effort is you.

These assorted fruits and vegetables were seized from arriving passengers at

John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. Foreign produce can bring

non-native pests and diseases into the United States, resulting in crop losses,

increased production costs, and environmental damage. (USDA, Erich Glasgow)

U.S. agriculture supports

1 in 12 jobs and provides

our Nation’s consumers

with more than 80 percent

of the food we eat.
What We Do

SITC conducts risk-based inspections, 

analyzes import data, and reaches out to 

industry and the public to stop the entry and 

distribution of unlawful agricultural goods. 

When SITC officers find a product that 

should not be here, we take steps to prevent 

potential pests or diseases from spreading. 

This typically includes seizing the product, 

destroying it by quarantine-approved means, 

and tracing the shipment forward and 

backward to see what pathway it traveled. 

By intervening early, we can stop pests and 

diseases before they move too far. In certain 

cases, we may also issue a violation 

against those responsible for the 

commodity—leading to fines, 

criminal prosecution, or both.
During a joint operation with their State counterparts, SITC officers 

verify a shipment of nursery stock in the back of a truck trailer at a 

California-Oregon border crossing. Nursery stock is a significant 

pathway for the movement of invasive plant pests and diseases. 

(USDA, Owen Shiozaki)

A SITC officer looks for insects 

and diseases on fresh citrus 

leaves seized at the airport in 

a passenger’s international 

baggage. (USDA, 

Margaret Shore)
On the Watch

SITC officers work across the country to carry 

out this mission. We check wholesale markets, 

distribution points, retail stores, restaurants, and 

the Internet to look for prohibited agricultural 

commodities. We also partner with the U.S. 

Department of Homeland Security and other 

government agencies in anti-smuggling efforts 

at air, land, and sea ports-of-entry nationwide, 

using a variety of survey, analytical, and intelligence tools to get the job done. 

In addition, our staff reaches out directly 

to importers, distributors, merchants, and 

the public to explain U.S. import 

requirements. By visiting a broad 

range of community events and 

venues—such as agricultural fairs, 

schools, foreign student orientations, trade 

shows, and others—we talk with as many 

people as we can to promote the safe and legal 

trade of agricultural products in our country. 

While surveying a retail market for products that may have bypassed USDA 

import requirements, a SITC officer examines a box of foreign preserved eggs. 

(USDA, Dan Moore)
USDA, R. Anson Eaglin

In response to a

tip from an alert

citizen, SITC

officers seized 

more than 1,200

giant African

snails—one of the

most damaging

snails in the

world—that had

been illegally

imported into the

United States.
A smuggler attempted to send these citrus seeds, declared as “documents,” to

the United States from Uruguay through a commercial courier service. The seeds

were concealed in hollowed-out phone books. (USDA, Louis Volpe)
SITC officers reach out to a homeowner about the import of foreign

agricultural products. The rise in online and mail-order shopping

has made many such products available directly from the comfort of

home. Unfortunately, some of these items are shipped to the United

States in violation of USDA restrictions. (USDA, Louis Volpe)

Do Your Part

The public contributes significantly to the

success of our work. You, too, can help support

SITC in defending U.S. agriculture and natural

resources from foreign pests and diseases.

First, find out what’s allowed before bringing

agricultural products into the United States from

other countries or moving them interstate.

Second, once you know, follow the proper

procedures, and be sure to double-check the

regulations before each shipment. Pest and

disease situations can change rapidly—just

because something was eligible for import once

doesn’t mean it will be in the future. If you have

any questions, call or email us. SITC officers are

available to explain Federal agricultural regulations and permit procedures.

Third, if you think something was imported

illegally—even if unintentionally—report it at

1-800-877-3835 or SITC.Mail@aphis.usda.gov.
SITC officers in San Juan, PR, inspect

air cargo for illegal agricultural products.

(USDA, R. Anson Eaglin)

U.S. Import Requirements:

What You Need

To Know

The following items may be restricted or

prohibited from entering the United States:

n Plants and seeds for planting

n Fresh fruits and vegetables

n Dried and processed plant products

(e.g., rice, herbs, citrus peel,

handicrafts)

n Soil

n Live insects and snails, including

their eggs

n Meats, cheeses, and other

animal products

n Live animals (including pet birds)

n Hatching eggs

n Certain species of freshwater fish

(including koi and goldfish)

n Hides and racks from certain animals

n Animal byproducts and germplasm
In some cases, these items may be allowed

if they are accompanied by proper paperwork—such as a health certificate issued by the

government of the country from which the item

will ship, a specific permit from USDA, or proof

of an approved treatment that eliminates any

pests of concern. For more information

on import requirements and USDA permits, go

to www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/permits.
The SITC program

works with several

major e-commerce

companies to identify

agricultural products

for sale on their sites

that cannot be legally

imported into the

United States.

Whenever possible,

the companies remove

these products from

their sites to prevent

unsuspecting U.S.

consumers from

buying them.
Importing Plants

and Plant Products

For incoming shipments of plants and seeds

meant for planting, phytosanitary certificates from

the country of export show that the shipment

is free of pests and diseases we don’t want in

the United States. In general, anyone wishing

to import plants and seeds for planting, as well

as certain other plant products, must obtain a

phytosanitary certificate for each shipment.

Various import restrictions also apply to most fresh

fruits, vegetables, and many dried or processed

plant products that can harbor pests, depending

on the country of origin. Soil, because of the many

pathogens it can contain, requires a specific

permit to enter the United States, as do live insects

and snails in any life stage, including their eggs.

A SITC officer and a USDA investigator discover specimens of giant African snail

on residential backyard shrubs. This exotic pest feeds on more than 500 types of

plants, damaging both ornamental landscapes and agricultural production. It can

also transmit harmful parasites to people. (USDA, Ramon Montalvo)
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agriculture specialist, with assistance 

from SITC, inspects a parcel arriving in the United States at an international mail 

processing facility. (USDA, Erich Glasgow)

Importing Animals 

and Animal Products

Live animals and their byproducts can transmit 

many harmful diseases to U.S. poultry or livestock populations: for example, avian influenza, 

exotic Newcastle disease, foot-and-mouth 

disease, or swine fever. As a result, meats, 

cheeses, extracts, hides, feathers, and other 

animal products from foreign countries often 

need USDA permits and proper certification to 

meet U.S. import requirements.
Contact Us

You can learn more about SITC at

www.aphis.usda.gov/sitc.

If you have any questions about the SITC program

or suspect something was imported without proper

clearance, please call the SITC hotline toll free at

1-800-877-3835 or email SITC.Mail@aphis.usda.gov.

To reach a local officer directly, call your nearest USDA

State Plant Health Director’s office and ask to speak

with SITC. Go to www.aphis.usda.gov/planthealth/

sphd for a list of offices and contact information.

If you have questions about importing agricultural

products or obtaining a permit, you may also contact

the national offices below.

Plants and Plant Products

Permit Unit, Plant Protection and Quarantine

USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

4700 River Road, Unit 133

Riverdale, MD 20737

Phone: (877) 770-5990

Fax: (301) 734-5786

Email: plantproducts.permits@aphis.usda.gov

Animals and Animal Products

National Import Export Services, Veterinary Services

USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

4700 River Road, Unit 40

Riverdale, MD 20737

Phone: (301) 851-3300

Fax: (301) 734-4704/8226

Email: VS-Live.Animals_Import.Permits@aphis.

usda.gov (live animals)

AskNIES.Products@aphis.usda.gov

(animal products)

VS Service Centers Directory: www.aphis.usda.gov/

animal_health/downloads/nies_contacts/sc.pdf
Cover Photos: (top) Farmhouse and farm. (Stockbyte/Getty Images)

(bottom) A SITC officer checks bulk agricultural commodities

at a warehouse site. (USDA, Arianna Covington)

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

This publication supersedes Program Aid No. 1957, “Stamping Out

Agricultural Smuggling and Promoting Trade Compliance,” which was

issued in January 2008.

Program Aid No. 2173

Issued March 2016