APHIS FACTSHEET

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United States

Department of

Agriculture

Animal and

Plant Health

Inspection

Service

November 1999

Plant Protection & Quarantine

Veterinary Services

How APHIS Facilitates

Agricultural Exports

As the world moves into to the 21st century,

nations have modified their ideas of protectionism

and embraced such international trade agreements

as the North American Free Trade Agreement

(NAFTA) and the General Agreement on Tariffs and

Trade (GATT). Countries have opened their doors a

little wider to the prospects of new trade, particularly

in the area of agriculture. With this increased interest

in agricultural trade comes a bigger, more visible role

for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA)

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).

APHIS helps to facilitate agricultural trade for

both importers and exporters, and its Plant Protection

and Quarantine (PPQ) unit is central to the

successful flow of healthy commodities into and out

of the United States. PPQ is responsible for ensuring

that healthy seeds, plants, bulbs, timber, flowers,

vegetables, fruits, and a multitude of other agricultural

commodities can be exported without threatening

agriculture and natural resources. APHIS’ Veterinary

Services (VS) unit ensures that animals and animal

products, such as semen and embryos, can be

exported from this country without threatening the

animal health in their countries of destination.

U.S. Agricultural Exports Equals Big

Business

The United States is by far the world’s largest

exporter of agricultural commodities: our 1998

agricultural exports were worth more than $51 billion.

American farmers truly do feed the world, and APHIS

helps not only to facilitate the trade of U.S. agricultural products but to expand markets as well. For

example, in 1999, after several years of negotiations,

the USDA announced that Japan would allow entry of

all U.S. tomatoes, a move worth $50 million to U.S.

growers. The change was made after APHIS officials

proved that the tomatoes were no threat to Japanese

agriculture. In 1998, the USDA signed several animal

sanitary protocols with China for U.S. livestock and

livestock genetics. With this move, U.S. producers

will be able expand the livestock and livestock

genetics export market to China—a market that

totaled $6 million in 1996. These are just a few of the

many examples in which efforts by APHIS have paid

off for American farmers and exporters.

Plant Export Certification

PPQ assists American farmers and exporters by

providing phytosanitary inspection and certification

for plants and plant products being shipped to foreign

countries. As a courtesy, PPQ will provide

phytosanitary certificates to exporters when required

by a foreign country. The phytosanitary certificates

verify that the products have been inspected and are

pest and disease free. PPQ issues two kinds of

phytosanitary certificates—those for domestic plants

and plant products, and those for foreign plants and

plant products offered for reexport. More than 25

billion dollars’ worth of exported commodities were

supported by phytosanitary certificates issued by

PPQ in 1997. To obtain information or apply for a

phytosanitary inspection and certification, contact

your local Federal or State plant regulatory office, or

for general information contact

USDA–APHIS–PPQ

Export Unit, Phytosanitary Issues Management

4700 River Road, Unit 140

Riverdale, MD 20737–1228

Telephone: (301) 734–8537

Fax: (301) 734–3249

EXCERPT Program—Because of the sheer quantity

of certificates that PPQ issues—paperwork for more

than 300,000 shipments each year—and because

many countries have vastly different entry requirements for agricultural products, PPQ developed a

data base to track the phytosanitary requirements for

each country. This data base, called EXCERPT,

allows PPQ officers, State and county officials, and

even industry members to access export information.

For example, if a U.S. exporter wanted to send flour

to Mexico, that exporter could access the EXCERPT

data base to find that they need a phytosanitary

certificate and an import permit from Mexican authorities. The same exporter would also be able to
To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office

of Civil Rights, Room 326–W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250–9410 or call

(202) 720–5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity

provider and employer.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color,

national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs,

sexual orientation, or marital or family status. (Not all prohibited

bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who

require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s

TARGET Center at (202) 720–2600 (voice and TDD).

find out that there is no specific certification needed

to ship fruit for consumption to Hong Kong.

The data base also lists the status of endangered

plant species, the commodities that are not eligible to

be exported to specific countries, and any changes in

other countries’ entry requirements. EXCERPT

identifies ports that are authorized to certify for export

those endangered and threatened plants protected

by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). For

example, PPQ officials at San Francisco, a CITESapproved port, can certify cacti for export.

With the availability of such extensive export

information, U.S. exporters usually do not run into any

complications with trade. However, in cases where

U.S. goods arrive at a foreign nation and are denied

entry, PPQ will try to negotiate with foreign plant

health authorities on behalf of the U.S. exporter.

User Fees for Plant Exporters—Under direction

from Congress, PPQ charges a user fee for issuing

phytosanitary certificates. These fees cover the costs

of providing certification services, and exporters must

pay at the time the certificate is issued.

Exporting Animals, Birds, and Animal

Products

APHIS’ VS works closely with exporters who

engage in trade with foreign nations. VS has a data

base called the International Regulation Retrieval

System in Fort Collins, CO, that lists the animal

health requirements of other countries. Both exporters and veterinarians can access this retrieval system

if they have the necessary computer equipment.

For requirements on exporting animal products to

foreign countries, exporters should contact their

trading partners in the foreign country. VS will work

with exporters to meet those requirements, both in

examining the products and issuing certificates.

For permit applications and information about

import and export requirements and user fees for

animals, birds, and animal products, contact

USDA–APHIS–VS

National Center for Import/Export

4700 River Road, Unit 40

Riverdale, MD 20737–1231

Telephone: (301) 734–3277

Fax: (301) 734–6402

Exporting CITES-Listed Plants and

Animals

 PPQ enforces the plant provisions of CITES and

supplies exporters who are engaging in the

commercial trade of CITES-listed plants with general

permits. Exporters may obtain a general permit from

PPQ by contacting

USDA–APHIS–PPQ

Permit Unit

4700 River Road, Unit 136

Riverdale, MD 20737–1236

Telephone: (301) 734–8645

Fax: (301) 734–5786

These exporters must also obtain export permits

for the plants from the U.S. Department of the

Interior’s Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). All FWSissued export permits for plants must be validated by

PPQ at a designated port before export to help

assure that the foreign country will accept shipment.

FWS also issues export permits for any animals,

like sea turtles and crocodiles, that are protected by

CITES. To obtain an export permit from FWS for

CITES-listed plants or animals, call (800) 358–2104.

FWS charges a $25 processing fee for these permits

and requires that animals and plants be shipped out

of designated ports.

Facilitating Trade

These days, under the influence of trade

agreements such as NAFTA and GATT, agricultural

trade is booming. And APHIS’ dual role of facilitating

agricultural exports while protecting American

agriculture has become even more crucial. PPQ’s

and VS’ export certification efforts inspire muchneeded trust from foreign countries that they are

receiving healthy, pest- and disease-free agricultural

shipments. Moreover, APHIS’ efforts on the

homefront to protect American agriculture ensure that

U.S. consumers can continue to enjoy the tastes of

American products while still sampling the tastes of

the rest of the world.