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Agricultural Quarantine and

Inspection Program

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The Agricultural Quarantine and Inspection (AQI) program uses a system of

safeguards to facilitate the safe trade of agricultural commodities and protect U.S.

agriculture and natural resources from invasive plant pests and animal diseases.

APHIS partners with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to carry out AQI

activities at all U.S. ports of entry.

Why AQI?

Exotic fruit flies, wood-boring insects, foreign animal diseases, and other invasive

pests can spread via global trade and travel. Infestations have staggering costs:

billions of dollars lost in 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.

At U.S. ports of entry, APHIS and CBP work together to identify and inspect for plant

pests and animal diseases associated with the entry of conveyances and their

associated cargo and international travelers and their bags. Our actions keep U.S.

agriculture and natural resources healthy while keeping international trade and
travel moving. Here are some examples of the AQI program's value and impact:

By stopping invasive pest threats at our borders, the AQI program protects

America's nearly $1.3 trillion agricultural economy.

The AQI program makes the import of agricultural commodities possible. In

fiscal year 2021, agricultural imports represented $163.3 billion in economic

activity.

It also protects the sanitary and phytosanitary integrity of U.S. agricultural

products and natural resource production, supporting U.S. agricultural exports

valued at $172.7 billion in fiscal year 2021. 

The AQI program helps support and protect millions of jobs in agriculture and

related industries, which represent approximately 10.5 percent of total U.S.

employment.

It helps protect U.S. agricultural production valued at $389 billion.

The AQI program helps protect our Nation's natural resources from plant pests

and diseases, including:

823 million acres of forests and woodlands that produce over $200

billion in forest products every year.

National forests and grasslands that contribute approximately $14.5

billion annually to the U.S. economy and help to sustain an estimated

223,000 jobs in rural areas.

Urban forests and trees that can reduce energy used for heating and

cooling by $5.4 billion every year while producing 67 million tons of

oxygen.

770 million acres of U.S. rangelands valued upwards at $21.2 billion for

livestock forage, carbon sequestration, recreation, and general ecosystem

services (such as enhancing plant and animal biodiversity and protecting

grassland against development pressure).

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What We Do

APHIS and CBP share responsibility for managing the AQI program.

Memorandum of Agreement 

2022–2026 Joint Agency Strategic Plan 
CBP is responsible for port-of-entry inspection, including the pre-arrival analysis,

inspection, and clearance of:

Commercial conveyances and their cargo arriving at U.S. ports of entry,

including ships, trains, planes, and trucks

International passengers and their baggage arriving by air, cruise, rail, and bus

Preclearance of international passengers at ports of departure outside the

customs territory of the United States

Private vehicles and their passengers at the borders

Pedestrians and their baggage crossing at land borders

Private aircraft arriving from international origins

Military aircraft and military vessels arriving from overseas

International mail and express courier shipments

APHIS is responsible for:

Negotiating agricultural export and import agreements with trading partners

Developing import regulations, policies, and procedures

Permitting: Issuing permits for the import, transit, and release of regulated

items

Preclearance and Offshore Risk Reduction: Inspecting, treating, and preclearing

agricultural commodities in their country of origin

Propagative Plant Inspection and Plant Germplasm Quarantine: Inspecting live

plants and propagative plant material arriving from overseas, including riskbased sampling

Pest Identification: Identifying pests and diseases found on arriving cargo and

conveyances

Quarantine Treatments: Developing, conducting, and monitoring treatments to

control pests and diseases

Risk Analysis and Methods Development: Analyzing and assessing pest risks to

inform import requirements and port-of-entry inspection activities and

uncovering new pathways that may bring pests to our shores

Passenger Predeparture Programs: Facilitating the movement of travelers,

baggage, mail, and cargo arriving into the U.S. mainland from Hawaii, Puerto

Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands

Training APHIS employees, CBP employees, canines, and their handlers to

detect and keep plant and animal pests and diseases out of the country
Smuggling Interdiction and Trade Compliance: Monitoring U.S. commerce to

find and stop the distribution of smuggled agricultural products

AQI User Fees: Administering the user fee program that funds the majority of

AQI program operations

Greater Caribbean Safeguarding Initiative (GCSI): Working with countries in the

Greater Caribbean Region to prevent, detect, and control existing and

emerging plant pest threats

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AQI User Fees

APHIS charges user fees for AQI services.

Learn more about AQI user fees