Enforcing APHIS

Regulations

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

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS),

the Investigative and Enforcement Services (IES)

staff works diligently to ensure the health and care of

the animals and plants under its jurisdiction. IES

helps the animal and agricultural industries achieve

compliance with APHIS regulations. Compliance is

accomplished through comprehensive investigations,

sound enforcement, and strong educational efforts.

IES contributes to the overall APHIS mission, the

protection of American agriculture, by:

• Investigating alleged violations of APHIS–related 

Federal laws and regulations;

• Maintaining investigative case records;

• Coordinating efforts throughout APHIS, USDA, 

and cooperating agencies to resolve violations of 

agricultural health laws;

• Establishing a centralized enforcement resource 

system;

• Gathering and sharing information on violations 

and violators; and

• Training APHIS inspectors to collect evidence for 

possible investigations.

Investigative Services

The field investigative unit was established in

1988 to consolidate the efforts of all APHIS investigators. To achieve a high degree of compliance with

APHIS regulations in the field, the 80–member investigative unit operates from two regional offices, one

located in Raleigh, NC, and the other in Fort Collins,

CO. IES’ primary clients in APHIS are the Animal

Care, Biotechnology Regulatory Services, Plant

Protection and Quarantine, and Veterinary Services

programs.

IES investigators gather information and 

evidence about all alleged violations of agricultural

health and animal welfare regulations. The investigators ensure that all cases are documented and

tracked appropriately to assist processing at the

agency and Department.

Enforcement Services

When IES investigators look into apparent violations, they prepare case reports. If a case warrants

prosecution, APHIS takes legal action, usually

through an administrative law process. Many cases

are closed with an official warning, but sometimes

IES issues stipulations that may include a civil fine or

other penalty. The more serious cases or those

involving repeat violations are submitted to an 

administrative law judge who can suspend or revoke

the violator’s USDA license and impose a fine. If a

violation is serious enough, IES will work with the

Department of Justice to build a criminal case.

IES investigates violations of:

• The Animal Welfare Act and the Horse Protection

Act;

• Agricultural import rules that prevent the 

introduction of exotic plant and animal pests and 

diseases into the United States;

• Rules pertaining to exports of agricultural 

products from the United States;

• Quarantine rules that restrict the interstate 

movement of certain agricultural products;

• Standards that control the quality of veterinary 

biological products;

• Sanitary standards for garbage and food that is 

fed to swine; and

• Standards for accredited veterinarians working in 

Federal/State cooperative programs.

Information Services

IES maintains all information about violations of

agricultural health and animal welfare laws in a 

centralized system at the APHIS headquarters in

Riverdale, MD. Compliance specialists in IES can

access information about cases and provide program

officials with legal insight into APHIS regulations.

The enforcement staff can also create historical and

general legal reports for field research and other

APHIS programs.

Training

Many IES investigators have agricultural and law

enforcement backgrounds and have worked with

APHIS previously in program delivery. Investigators

are trained at the Federal Law Enforcement Training

Center in Glynco, GA, to monitor possible unlawful

activities and gather evidence about them. Upon

completion of training in Glynco, IES investigators

can provide training to other APHIS employees and

cooperators. This training includes techniques for

collecting evidence, preparing written statements,

conducting interviews, and enforcing APHIS regulations.

Factsheet

Investigative and Enforcement Services March 2004

APHIS
IES also authorizes APHIS employees other than

investigators to administer oaths and take affidavits in

the field. The authorizations enable these other

employees to gather useful evidence of possible 

violations.

How To Contact IES

For more information regarding IES activities,

please visit our Web site at www.aphis.usda.gov/ies or

contact us at:

USDA, APHIS, IES

4700 River Road, Unit 85

Riverdale, MD 20737–1234

(301) 734–8684

Eastern Region

USDA, APHIS, IES

920 Main Campus Drive, Suite 200

Raleigh, NC 27606

(919) 855–7080

Western Region

USDA, APHIS, IES

2150 Centre Avenue

Bldg. B 3W10

Fort Collins, CO 80526–8117

(970) 494–7485

United States Department of Agriculture • Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service • Safeguarding American Agriculture

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination

in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national

origin, sex, 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).

To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of

Civil Rights, Room 326–W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence

Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250–9410 or call (202) 720–5964

(voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and

employer.