PPQ—Pest Exclusion

In today’s world, U.S. agriculture and global trade 

increasingly depend on one another. According to the U.S. 

Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Economic Research 

Service, U.S. agricultural production has grown faster than 

domestic demand. That means U.S. farmers must rely 

heavily on export markets to sustain prices and revenues. 

At the same time, U.S. consumer demand for more diverse 

foods has steadily increased U.S. agricultural imports over 

the years. 

While U.S. farmers and consumers have much to gain from 

global trade, it leaves our agricultural and natural resources 

vulnerable to the foreign plant pests and diseases that 

can be moved through commerce. Since the beginning of 

the 20th century, Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ)—a 

program within USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service (APHIS)—has been there to safeguard those 

resources against the introduction and spread of damaging 

pests and diseases. 

At the core of PPQ’s safeguarding mission is a continuum 

of pest exclusion strategies and activities that work 

together to minimize the plant health risks that come with 

global trade, international travel, and the smuggling of 

prohibited agricultural products. This system of overlapping 

safeguards begins overseas, continues through U.S. ports 

of entry, and extends across the Nation.aaa

Overseas

PPQ works with foreign governments, importers, and the 

U.S. military to exclude pests at their origin before 

shipments reach our shores. PPQ:

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plant pest and disease pathways

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imports and determines which measures to apply to 

prevent foreign pests from moving in commerce

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develop effective systems to control plant pests and 

diseases locally

 Oversees the inspection and treatment of commodities 

in more than 25 countries before export to the United 

States to minimize pest and disease risks

 Monitors commodity treatments on board ships 

traveling to our country to make sure they are effective

 Partners with the U.S. Department of Defense to inspect 

military cargo, conveyances, and household goods in 

the country of origin to prevent the movement of soil, 

foreign animal diseases, and plant pests to our country

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

Plant Protection and Quarantine 

A PPQ analyst meets with foreign producers to better understand 

how pests of concern might travel to the United States. 

United States Department of Agriculture
Each year, PPQ inspects tens of 

thousands of imported live plant 

and seed shipments, preventing 

the introduction of potentially 

damaging pests.

At Ports of Entry

PPQ partners with the U.S. Department of Homeland 

Security’s Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to inspect 

cargo, commercial vessels, and international passenger 

baggage and seize foreign agricultural pests before they 

can enter the country. PPQ:

 Develops science-based regulations for imports of 

agricultural products and CBP’s inspections of cargo 

and passenger baggage

 Issues import permits that detail required entry 

conditions for eligible commodities

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of entry in foreign-arriving cargo and determines 

if available safeguards, such as treatments or 

reconditioning, could be applied to remove them and 

allow shipments to enter

 Monitors treatment applications that at-risk 

shipments must undergo at ports of entry before 

entering U.S. markets 

 Inspects live imported plants and seeds for planting 

to screen out pests and diseases

Across the Nation

PPQ’s efforts to detect foreign plant pests and diseases that 

may have evaded other safeguarding measures continue in 

our country. PPQ:

 Investigates cases involving the smuggling of 

agricultural products, which could provide an illicit 

pathway for pests and diseases to enter the United 

States or move interstate

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foreign plant pests or diseases

USDA is an equal opportunity 

provider, employer, and lender.

Program Aid No. 2202b

Issued September 2016

Slightly revised July 2017

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products that may have been imported illegally.