2022

IMPACT REPORT

Keeping U.S. Agriculture Healthy for America and the World
The APHIS mission is simply stated: 

We protect the health and value of U.S. 

animal and plant agriculture and natural 

resources. Success in that mission means 

abundant and affordable food for the 

United States and the world, open trade 

markets for producers, and a healthy 

economy with opportunities for all.

Behind that simple summary is a complex 

reality. APHIS relies on scientific methods 

and knowledge to accomplish its goals 

while carrying out regulatory authorities 

and enforcement responsibilities. Our 

thousands of employees are from diverse 

backgrounds, span many professions 

and areas of expertise, and work across 

the country and around the world. But 

they have two things in common: an 

understanding of the challenges we face 

and a dedication to our mission. 

Many of those challenges are ongoing 

and familiar, but they are also constantly 

evolving. In 2022, we battled a new and 

deadly strain of highly pathogenic avian 

influenza at home, while we fought 

offshore to keep African swine fever from 

entering the United States. We worked hard 

to create access for U.S. crops abroad while 

fighting against invasive pests like spotted 

lanternfly and Asian longhorned beetle.

As the challenges and threats evolve, so do 

our resources. We learn better surveillance 

techniques, use more sophisticated 

equipment, and access more advanced 

data analysis. We continue to build and 

strengthen partnerships across sectors and 

borders, deepening and enhancing our 

prevention and response capabilities. 

APHIS continues its “One Health” 

approach based on the interconnection 

between people, animals, plants, and 

their shared environment. We continue 

programs made possible by American 

Rescue Plan Act funds, while supporting 

research projects to develop new 

disease prevention and intervention 

strategies, address surveillance gaps, and 

develop strategies to rapidly detect and 

characterize new variants in animals. 

Through public-private partnerships, 

APHIS is also working to improve access to 

information on antimicrobial resistance in 

livestock, poultry, and companion animals.

With all these advances, our employees 

remain our “secret weapon.” APHIS 

employees are used to working hard and 

under tough conditions, sometimes toward 

goals that take years to achieve. In 2022, we 

expanded market access in Mexico for U.S. 

potato exports, which will greatly increase 

U.S. exports and profits. That achievement 

took 15 years of hard work for a small but 

determined team. 

And that is just one example. In addition 

to their professional expertise and skills, 

APHIS employees embody resilience and 

endurance. And that makes all the difference.

Sincerely,

Kevin Shea, Administrator

Animal and Plant Health

Inspection Service

U.S. Department of Agriculture

Healthy Agriculture: An Evolving Mission

2022 Impact Report 1
Mission: To protect the health and value of 

America’s agricultural and natural resources

10,773

Employees

Worldwide

3

Territories

$2.3B

Annual Budget

6

Operational

Programs

7

Labs and

Research Hubs

Who We Are

Where We Serve

Our Focus

Thriving 

Crops and 

Forests

Healthy 

Livestock

and Poultry

Safe

Trade

Balanced, 

Healthy 

Wildlife 

Populations

Humane Care 

for Vulnerable 

Animals

Safe

Biotechnology

26

Countries

50

States

2 Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service 2022 Impact Report 3
Monitored grasshopper and Mormon 

cricket populations in 13 Western States 

and treated 91,642 rangeland acres to 

control outbreaks, protecting more than 

224,000 acres of rangeland forage and 

wildlife habitat 

Eradicated three exotic fruit fly outbreaks 

from California during FY 2022 and 

continued responding to a large scale 

outbreak in Texas, reducing the 

quarantined area from more than 9,000 

acres at the beginning of the fiscal year 

to 850 acres at the end of the fiscal year. 

Released the remaining quarantined 

acres in October and November 2022—

ending the multi-year outbreak that 

threatened the Texas citrus industry

Protected American agriculture from 

harmful plant pests and foreign animal 

diseases like African swine fever by 

intercepting 292,698 prohibited 

agricultural items during baggage 

inspections of more than 14 million 

passengers bound for the U.S. mainland 

from Hawaii and Puerto Rico

Expanded market access in Mexico for 

U.S. potato exports, providing a market 

potential of $250 million per year in 5 years

Thriving Crops and Forests

American farms and forests produce vast resources for our country and the entire world. 

Millions of people depend on our Nation’s plant resources for food, clothing, fuel, and 

jobs. We protect these resources from harmful pests—so they stay healthy. 

www.aphis.usda.gov/planthealth

Allocated more than $70 million to 

support 372 projects under the Plant 

Protection Act’s Section 7721 program as 

part of a nationwide effort to strengthen 

the country’s infrastructure for pest 

detection, surveillance, and mitigation, 

as well as protect the U.S. nursery system

Inspected and cleared 2.82 billion pounds 

of fresh fruits and vegetables from 19 

countries before they were shipped to 

the United States and oversaw a systems 

approach for the safe import of 2.04 

billion pounds of avocados from Mexico, 

representing 90 percent of avocados 

imported into the United States 

Cleared 26,176 imported shipments 

containing 2.22 billion plant units 

(cuttings, rooted plants, tissue culture, 

etc.) and over 525,898 kilograms of seeds 

of woody plants and prevented entry of 

1,702 quarantine-significant pests at U.S. 

plant inspection stations 

Identified 109,000 pests found during 

U.S. Customs and Border Protection 

inspections of cargo, mail, and express 

carrier shipments and took quick action 

to prevent those of concern from entering 

the United States 

Issued 36,999 import permits and 11,471 

regulatory guidance letters for plants and 

plant products and responded to over 

42,230 inquiries about imports and plant 

health permits 

Issued more than 656,000 Federal 

phytosanitary certificates directly or 

through authorized State and county 

cooperators to aid the export of 

U.S. plants and plant products to 

approximately 200 trading partners 

Inspected and certified plant and plant 

product shipments; conducted technical 

negotiations to open, maintain, and 

expand export markets; and facilitated 

the release of held shipments—an added 

value of approximately $417.5 million 

Helped expand the Global Electronic 

Phytosanitary (ePhyto) Solution, which 

makes the exchange of export certificates 

fast, efficient, and fraud-resistant—in fiscal 

year 2022 alone, the United States sent 

more than 292,000 ePhytos to 80 trading 

partners and received 203,000 ePhytos

Completed 278 risk analyses associated 

with imports, exports, invasive pest 

threats, and program requirements to 

support safe trade and protect 

American agriculture

Conducted 326 plant pest surveys with 

cooperators in 50 States and 5 Territories 

and coordinated the response to 50 

pests that were identified during FY 2022 

surveys and prior years 

Worked with more than 180 International 

Plant Protection Convention members 

to advance international standards that 

facilitate safe agricultural trade

4 Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service 2022 Impact Report 5
Assisted the Dominican Republic and 

Haiti in their African swine fever (ASF) 

eradication program, including providing 

advice and assistance on surveillance, 

quarantine, depopulation, and disposal 

methods; providing testing support; and 

bolstering in-country testing capacity

Continued to enforce an ASF protection 

zone in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin 

Islands; enhanced pre-departure 

activities by adding temporary staff, 

canine detector teams, and x-ray 

machines, as well as conducting training 

for staff in inspecting for animal products; 

and increased Smuggling Interdiction 

and Trade Compliance market surveys in 

the protection zone to identify regulated 

or prohibited products and ensure their 

removal from the marketplace 

Collected 72,500 samples for severe 

acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 

2 (SARS-CoV-2) testing—representing 

100 species from wildlife, zoos, aquaria, 

and other facilities across 36 States and 

the District of Columbia. Sequenced 

500 samples, with 161 being variants 

first detected in humans before 

animals. Maintained further support at 

30 National Animal Health Laboratory 

Network (NAHLN) labs, including 7 

with capability to test human samples

Provided training to support a nationwide 

network of more than 71,000 USDAaccredited veterinarians who serve as 

the first line of defense for reportable 

domestic and foreign animal diseases 

Provided $7.6 million to States, 

universities, and industry/veterinary 

organizations for 36 projects to support 

animal movement decisions during a 

disease outbreak and enhance States’ 

emergency vaccination plans

Invested $16.9 million in the National 

Animal Vaccine and Veterinary 

Countermeasures Bank, including 

$13.8 million in additional foot-andmouth disease (FMD) vaccine antigen 

concentrate, $500,600 for diagnostic 

test kits for high consequence animal 

diseases, and $2.6 million to purchase 

classical swine fever (CSF) vaccine for 

APHIS’ National Veterinary Stockpile 

Provided $4.4 million to support 21 new 

NAHLN projects in 14 States to enhance 

early detection of high-consequence 

animal diseases and improve emergency 

response capabilities at NAHLN veterinary 

diagnostic laboratories 

Monitored U.S. livestock health, 

including testing 23,783 samples for ASF 

and/or CSF (with all results negative), 

and conducting 3,515 foreign animal 

disease investigations, of which 1,464 

involved investigations of vesicular 

diseases such as FMD and 1,322 involved 

poultry diseases 

Initiated an emergency program to 

address nationwide detections of highly 

pathogenic avian influenza. Performed 

1,854,713 tests on commercial poultry 

flocks through National Poultry 

Improvement Plan cooperative 

agreements and coordinated the 

collection of 20,860 wild bird samples, 

helping to protect the U.S. poultry 

industry—whose production is valued 

at $46.1 billion

Licensed 86 manufacturers and permit 

holders for 1,448 active product licenses/

permits for the control of 278 animal 

diseases in FY 2022 

Endorsed 329,344 health certificates to 

facilitate safe animal and animal product 

exports and approved 2,663 facilities to 

export U.S. animal products, maintaining 

and expanding the network of USDAapproved establishments to quickly 

and safely move these products to 

global markets

Accepted electronic USDA Accredited 

Veterinarian signature for the issuance

 of all live animal export health certificates 

submitted for endorsement from 

39 countries

Healthy Livestock and Poultry

We keep America’s agricultural animals healthy. A critical part of this work includes 

responding to serious animal diseases—and preventing these diseases from entering the 

United States. Our experts work with partners across all disciplines—here at home and 

around the world—to find the best health outcomes for all. 

www.aphis.usda.gov/animalhealth

6 Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service 2022 Impact Report 7
Facilitated new markets for a wide 

range of U.S.-origin animals and animal 

products, including bovine meat and 

bone meal to Peru worth an estimated 

$5 million per year; wheat to Fiji worth 

an estimated $3 million per year; sheep 

and goats to Senegal worth an estimated 

$800,000 per year; and bovine, ovine, 

and caprine genetics to Tunisia worth an 

estimated $500,000 per year 

Worked with foreign partners and other 

APHIS experts to resolve challenges 

posed by pest detections, trading partner 

regulatory changes, and other issues, 

helping to preserve threatened markets 

for U.S.-origin goods, including poultry 

products to the Philippines (valued at 

$158 million in 2021) and eggs to Brazil 

(valued at $26 million in 2021), among 

other markets threatened by the avian 

influenza outbreaks in the United States

Negotiated with foreign officials incountry to resolve delays with 261 U.S. 

shipments at foreign ports, totaling more 

than $94 million 

Expanded market access in Mexico for 

U.S. potato exports, providing a market 

potential of $250 million per year in 5 years

Produced 1.04 billion sterile Mediterranean 

fruit flies weekly at the El Pino sterile 

insect facility in Guatemala, supporting 

preventative release programs in California 

and Florida, along with population

control efforts in Guatemala and Mexico

Produced 5.24 billion sterile Mexican fruit 

flies at the San Miguel Petapa facility in 

Guatemala (an average of 100.8 million 

weekly) to support eradication activities 

in Texas and California. These flies also 

supported preventive release programs in 

northern Mexico, Texas, and California to 

help protect America’s valuable 

citrus production

Released 20 million sterile New World 

screwworm flies weekly to maintain 

a biological barrier in Panama and 

Colombia to protect screwworm-free 

areas in North and Central America

Hosted 5 virtual sessions for 107 foreign 

officials from Canada, Mexico, and the 

Philippines to build awareness of the U.S. 

regulatory process and ease future market 

access and resumed in-person meetings, 

with 3 sessions attended by 29 officials 

from 5 countries

Coordinated APHIS’ response to the 

presence of African swine fever (ASF) 

in the Dominican Republic—advising 

local authorities on public outreach, 

testing samples, training staff, expanding 

surveillance, and supporting APHIS’ 

establishment of an ASF protection 

zone around Puerto Rico and the 

U.S. Virgin Islands 

Delivered seminars and workshops, 

supported continuing education courses, 

and shared information both virtually and 

in person on a wide range of technical 

topics for officials representing more than 

41 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, the 

Americas, and the Caribbean to increase 

their capacity to identify, diagnose, 

control, respond to, and recover from 

animal and plant diseases 

We have Foreign Service Officers and staff in 26 countries overseas—on the front line 

for U.S. agricultural health. Working with foreign governments and industries, we help 

them build capacity to control, manage, and eradicate pests and diseases. We also help 

our international partners establish and manage sustainable animal and plant health 

programs to ensure the safe trade of agriculture commodities between our countries.

Safe Trade

www.aphis.usda.gov/aphisoverseas

8 Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service 2022 Impact Report 9
Maintained or created 32,781 different 

agreements with cooperators to protect 

livestock from predation through a 

combination of techniques and tools, 

including nonlethal methods like range 

riding, fladry, fencing, and husbandry 

practices

Continued researching and promoting 

nonlethal methods to cooperators 

nationwide under the Nonlethal Initiative, 

which started in 2020 to protect livestock 

from large carnivores, was expanded in FY 

2022 to include nonlethal beaver damage 

management, and currently implements 

nonlethal assistance in 13 States 

In a One Health initiative with Federal, 

State, and Tribal partners, monitored 

and surveyed thousands of white-tailed 

deer and other animals (both wild and 

domestic) for SARS-CoV-2 to help identify 

species that may serve as reservoirs or 

hosts for the virus and better understand 

exposure, disease susceptibility, and the 

risks of cross-species transmission

Protected wildlife and public health by 

distributing more than 8.5 million oral 

rabies vaccination (ORV) baits to combat 

raccoon rabies in 16 Eastern States and 

more than 1.2 million ORV baits in Texas 

to prevent canine rabies from reemerging 

along the Mexican border

Partnered with Federal and State resource 

agencies, private organizations, and 

community groups on approximately 

7,250 damage management projects 

that helped protect threatened and 

endangered bird species across 50 States, 

Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands

Worked with State and Federal partners 

to reduce or prevent feral swine damage 

on approximately 231 million acres in 36 

States and 3 Territories, directly protecting 

agriculture, human health and safety, 

property, and natural resources 

Led feral swine eradication efforts and 

enhanced African swine fever (ASF) 

surveillance in Puerto Rico and the 

U.S. Virgin Islands, removing 2,604 and 

sampling 1,732 feral swine, to help 

protect the United States from this 

deadly animal disease after its detection 

in the Caribbean 

Dispersed more than 121,310 doublecrested cormorants at aquaculture 

facilities in 15 States, helping protect an 

industry worth $1.5 billion nationally 

Helped nearly 784 civil, military, and 

joint-use airports worldwide—comprising 

about 75 percent of all U.S. commercial 

passenger airports—reduce or avoid 

wildlife strike hazards to protect people 

and aircraft 

Led U.S. research to find innovative 

solutions for managing wildlife damage, 

initiating 197 studies with approximately 

171 research partners nationwide—with 

the majority of our work devoted to 

nonlethal tools and techniques 

Advanced our Nation’s ability to manage 

wildlife resources wisely and effectively 

by sharing our research results and 

encouraging the use of new methods, 

with 109 peer-reviewed papers and over 

141,000 downloads from Digital Commons

Donated nearly 150 tons of deer, goose, 

and other meat—more than 1 million 

servings of protein for people in need—

and more than 20 tons of meat for animal 

consumption to animal rehab centers, 

zoos, and other facilities, making full use 

of this resource from wildlife damage 

management work

Balanced, Healthy Wildlife Populations 

Wildlife are one of America’s most valued public resources. Yet wildlife-related 

problems—including disease threats, livestock predation, crop losses, property damage, 

and more—are common. In response, we lead our Nation’s efforts to find innovative 

solutions that protect people, agriculture, and wildlife so all can coexist. 

www.aphis.usda.gov/wildlifedamage

10 Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service 2022 Impact Report 11
Oversaw 13,376 licensees and registrants, 

including nearly 2,500 new registrants, 

ensuring the humane care and treatment 

of animals covered under the Animal 

Welfare Act (AWA) 

Conducted 10,595 AWA site inspections—

including 1,248 unannounced inspections 

at research facilities—to assess the health, 

care, and treatment of more than 1.4 

million animals and found 96 percent of 

licensees and registrants in substantial 

compliance with the AWA 

Finalized a rule that reduces duplicative 

requirements and administrative burden 

on more than 1,000 AWA-registered 

biomedical facilities, while maintaining 

scientific integrity and humane animal care 

Launched a nationwide outreach 

initiative for attending veterinarians, 

including a new website, educational 

webinars, and other resources, to 

strengthen our partnership in protecting 

the health and well-being of AWAregulated animals 

Issued 3,167 import permits covering 

15,412 dogs for resale in the United 

States, ensuring they are healthy, 

vaccinated, and over 6 months of age

Continued supporting the Zoological All 

Hazards Partnership—which reached 

600 animal facilities, professional and 

industry groups, private owners, 

veterinarians, and others in the exotic 

animal community in FY 2022—covering 

topics such as hurricanes, wildfires, SARSCOV-2, highly pathogenic avian influenza 

in zoos, and biosecurity and resilience for 

zoos and aquariums

Took civil and administrative action to 

address alleged AWA violations, including 

opening 262 cases, issuing 204 official 

warnings, obtaining 17 administrative 

orders, and permanently revoking 7 other 

licenses to support AWA compliance and 

deter future violations

Attended 41 horse events, inspected 

1,300 horses, and identified 323 instances 

of the Horse Protection Act (HPA) 

noncompliance. In collaboration with 

industry, representatives sampled 1,578 

horses for prohibited substance testing 

and found that nearly half the 

samples tested were positive for 

prohibited numbing agents 

Provided training to Agency inspectors to 

promote consistency in HPA compliance 

inspections, increasing communication 

with management about USDA’s HPA 

Disqualification List

Worked with State and local partners to 

confiscate or facilitate the surrender of 

more than 140 animals to relieve their 

suffering and provide them with 

humane care 

We protect more than 1 million vulnerable animals nationwide by enforcing the Animal 

Welfare Act and the Horse Protection Act. Through inspections and outreach, we oversee 

thousands of breeders, dealers, and exhibitors; research facilities; transporters; dog 

importers; and managers of horse shows, exhibitions, and sales to make sure their animals 

receive care and treatment that meets Federal standards. We also provide national 

leadership on the safety and well-being of pets and other animals during disasters.

Humane Care for Vulnerable Animals

www.aphis.usda.gov/animalwelfare

12 Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service 2022 Impact Report 13
Fully implemented USDA’s revised 

biotechnology regulations, which allow 

APHIS to focus oversight on products that 

may pose a risk and reduce regulatory 

burden for developers of organisms 

that are unlikely to pose plant pest risks, 

providing over $8 million in annual 

cost savings

Issued 2 Regulatory Status Review (RSR) 

decisions, the first under the new RSR 

process in the revised regulations 

Responded to 9 requests for confirmation 

that a plant met the criteria for exemption 

from regulation, confirming all 9 and 

issuing responses within an average of 39 

days from receiving the requests

With State agricultural officials, 

performed more than 660 inspections of 

authorized field trials involving organisms 

developed using genetic engineering, 

with an 88-percent rate of compliance

Completed 1 petition for non-regulated 

status under the legacy regulations, 

bringing the total number of 

determinations to 136

Delivered more than 13 presentations

to international stakeholders 

representing 40 countries to offer 

technical information and build capacity 

abroad for regulating biotechnology

Processed over 758 authorizations in 

42 States for the movement or field 

testing of organisms developed using 

genetic engineering

We help American agriculture stay at the forefront of science and innovation. From 

drought-tolerant corn and insect-resistant crops to canola that produces healthier oils, 

people develop new products every day using genetic engineering. We work alongside 

other Federal agencies to make sure these products are safe for U.S. agriculture and 

the environment.

Safe Biotechnology 

www.aphis.usda.gov/biotechnology

14 Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service 2022 Impact Report 15
In accordance with Federal civil rights law and 

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil 

rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its 

Agencies,offices, and employees, and 

institutions participating in or administering 

USDA programs are prohibited from 

discriminating based on race, color, national 

origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including 

gender expression), sexual orientation, 

disability, age, marital status, family/parental 

status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or 

retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any 

program or activity conducted or funded by 

USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). 

Remedies and complaint filing deadlines 

vary by program or incident. Persons with 

disabilities who require alternative means of 

communication for program information (e.g., 

Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign 

Language, etc.) should contact the responsible 

Agency or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 

720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA 

through the Federal Relay Service at 

(800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other 

than English. 

To file a program discrimination complaint, 

complete the USDA Program Discrimination 

Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at 

How to File a Program Discrimination 

Complaint (www.usda.gov/oascr/how-to-file-aprogram-discrimination-complaint) and at 

any USDA office or write a letter addressed 

to USDA and provide in the letter all of the 

information requested in the form. To request 

a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-

9992. Submit your completed form or letter 

to USDA by: (1) mail: U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary 

for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, 

SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; (2) fax: 

(202) 690-7442; or (3) email: program.intake@

usda.gov. 

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, 

employer, and lender.

Mention of companies or commercial products 

does not imply recommendation or endorsement by USDA over others not mentioned. 

USDA neither guarantees nor warrants the 

standard of any product mentioned. Product 

names are mentioned solely to report factually 

on available data and to provide specific 

information.

APHIS-23-013

Issued July 2023

16 Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
www.aphis.usda.gov