DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Office of Inspectors General 

Review of Customs and Border

Protection’s Agriculture Inspection 

Activities 

OIG-07-32 February 2007 

REVISED 

























Appendix A 

Purpose, Scope, and Methodology 

The purpose of the audit was to determine the extent to which CBP conducted 

agricultural inspection activities transitioned from USDA to prevent or 

minimize the introduction of harmful, exotic pests and diseases in the United 

States. The audit objectives were to determine whether CBP: 

• Effectively communicated and cooperated with USDA on issues relating 

to agricultural inspection policies and procedures; 

• Complied with established procedures for agriculture inspections of 

passengers, cargo, and carriers; and 

• Accurately tracked agriculture inspection activities and resolved 

exceptions. 

The audit period generally covered agricultural inspection activities from 

March 2003 to February 2005, but current procedures that existed during 2005 

were also evaluated. To accomplish the objectives, the OIG conducted 

fieldwork at CBP headquarters in Washington, DC, and at ports located in 

Chicago, IL; Detroit, MI; Laredo, TX; and Miami, FL. 

We reviewed policies and procedures, pertinent laws and regulations, 

interviewed CBP personnel, and reviewed documents and records. We tested 

procedures and controls, and observed inspection activities in the following 

areas. 

Agricultural Quarantine Inspection Monitoring 

To verify AQIM data, we compared the number of samples reported to 

USDA-APHIS with the number of AQIM samples documented in CBP files. 

We also reviewed AQIM sample forms to determine if forms were accurately 

completed. For all four locations our review covered the period OctoberDecember 2004. 

Work Accomplishment Data System 

To test the accuracy of selected statistics in WADS reports, we traced the 

information to supporting documentation such as bills of lading and tally 

sheets. We selected WADS codes that were relevant to the port’s agriculture 

inspection activity. We chose activity from January 200511 and compared the 

source documents to the totals reported for the codes in the monthly activity 

summary report. See details on the samples in Table 1 below. 

11 For Miami maritime activities the WADS data for May 2005 was reviewed to be consistent with the scope used for 

the PPQ280 review. 

Review of CBP’s Agriculture Inspection Activities

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Appendix A 

Purpose, Scope and Methodology 

Table 1 

WADS Codes Sampled 

Location Code Type Sample Size Totals 

Chicago Maritime 2 

Airport 19 

Mail 6 

 Miscellaneous 1 

 Inland Inspections 4 32 

Detroit Airport 18 

 Land Border 9 

Mail 2 29 

Laredo Land Border 24 24 

Miami Maritime 32 

Airport 20 

Mail 10 

 Miscellaneous 1 63 

TOTAL 148 

Plant Protection Quarantine-280 

To test the accuracy of PPQ-280 data, we selected shipments during January 

2005 (with one exception discussed below), and expanded the review to 

another month in instances where a significant rate of error was found. We 

counted the number of shipments to determine the universe for the month. To 

determine the accuracy of the PPQ-280 data, we compared each line item of 

the shipment’s supporting documentation (such as the invoices or bills of 

lading) to the PPQ-280 data verification report that was obtained from the 

Agriculture Quarantine Activity System. 

Chicago – Air Cargo For January 2005 we took a judgmental sample of 30 

of 364 shipments. 

Based on the errors we noted in the January 2005 sample, we expanded our 

testing to include November 2004. Following the same procedure noted 

above, we took a judgmental sample of 30 of 450 shipments. 

Detroit – For January 2005 we examined all 47 individual shipments 

(consisting of 107 individual line items). 

Laredo – Land Bridge We took a sample of 30 notices of arrival for each 

cargo port of entry at Laredo (World Trade Bridge and Columbia Bridge) for 

January 2005. We verified that each item on each notice of arrival was in the 

Review of CBP’s Agriculture Inspection Activities

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Appendix M 

USDA Report Distribution 

Additional Information and Copies 

To obtain additional copies of this report, call the Office of Inspector General (OIG) at 

(202) 254-4100, fax your request to (202) 254-4285, or visit the OIG web site at 

www.dhs.gov/oig. 

OIG Hotline 

To report alleged fraud, waste, abuse or mismanagement, or any other kind of criminal 

or noncriminal misconduct relative to department programs or operations, call the 

OIG Hotline at 1-800-323-8603; write to DHS Office of Inspector General/MAIL 

STOP 2600, Attention: Office of Investigations - Hotline, 245 Murray Drive, SW, 

Building 410, Washington, DC 20528, fax the complaint to (202) 254-4292; or email 

DHSOIGHOTLINE@dhs.gov. The OIG seeks to protect the identity of each writer 

and caller.