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About Plant Protection and

Quarantine

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APHIS' Plant Protection and Quarantine program forms America’s first line of defense

against the introduction and spread of invasive pests. Our team of more than 3,000

employees has expertise in a wide range of fields, from botany and virology to data

analysis, economics, and much more.

Throughout the United States and abroad, we safeguard U.S. agriculture and natural

resources against the entry, establishment, and spread of economically and

environmentally significant pests and facilitate the safe trade of agricultural

products. We collaborate with many partners, cooperators, and stakeholders to carry

out this mission. Below are two of our most crucial partnerships:

Customs and Border Protection 

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection

enforces APHIS regulations at ports of entry. See our Memorandum of Agreement.

Learn More
National Plant Board 

PPQ and the National Plant Board work together to use our respective Federal and

State authorities, assets, and expertise to safeguard plant health and enable safe

trade. The Strategic Alliance documents the nature of this relationship and our top

priorities.

Learn More
Globally, PPQ represents the United States at the International Plant Protection

Convention, where we work with more than 180 other countries to develop sciencebased international standards. Through the North American Plant Protection

Organization, we also collaborate with Canada and Mexico to create regional

standards that keep invasive plant pests out of North America.

Accomplishments

All along the safeguarding continuum (103.27 KB), PPQ experts assess risks

associated with pests that hitchhike on and in the agricultural products we import.

We take action at the right time and in the right place to safeguard U.S. agriculture

and natural resources, while keeping international trade and travel moving. Take a

look at our work from 2022 (224.64 KB):

Globally

We fought pests offshore before they could reach the United States and helped U.S.

agriculture thrive in the global marketplace.
Inspected and cleared 2.82 billion pounds of fresh fruits and

vegetables from 19 countries before they were shipped to the United States

Oversaw a systems approach for the safe import of 2.04 billion pounds of

avocados from Mexico

Processed 1.2 million Lacey Act declarations, helping to combat illegal

trade of protected plant species

Certified or recertified 282 treatment facilities, including 72 facilities in

Mexico, 6 facilities in Central America, 15 facilities in the Caribbean, 13 facilities

in South America, and 2 facilities in Asia

At the Border

We kept potentially damaging plant pests out of the country.

Intercepted 1,702 quarantine pests at plant inspection stations
Reduced inspection times on the southern border by 77 percent by

focusing on higher-risk shipment inspections, continuing to implement riskbased sampling at U.S. ports of entry

Identified 109,000 pests during U.S. Customs and Border Protection

inspections of cargo, mail, and express carrier shipments and took action to

prevent them from entering the United States

Intercepted over 392,100 prohibited agricultural products and 603

quarantine pests during baggage inspections of approximately 14 million

passengers bound for the U.S. mainland from Hawaii and Puerto Rico

Nationally

We fought back against the spread of invasive plant pests that threatened our

Nation’s crops and forests.

Reared and released more than 515,891 stingless wasps to State and

Tribal cooperators for release in 28 States to combat the emerald ash borer
Treated 91,642 rangeland acres to control outbreaks of grasshopper

and Mormon crickets, protecting over 224,000 acres of land

Provided $7.5 million for 28 clean plant projects, which distribute

disease-free fruits and vegetables to nurseries and growers

Seized 339,408 pounds of prohibited agricultural items valued at over

$2.1 million through product recalls and express courier package inspections,

helping to protect crops and livestock from pests and diseases

Program Reports

Learn more in our program reports:

The Lacey Act: Combating the Illegal Trade of Protected Plant Species (197.35

KB)

Making Agricultural Trade Safe and Supporting U.S. Exports (263.75 KB)
Risk Analysis and Methods Development (216.82 KB)

Strengthening Pest Exclusion Abroad (231.96 KB)

Risk Analysis and Methods Development (216.82 KB)

Strengthening Pest Exclusion at the Border (218.06 KB)

Optimizing Pest Management: Cotton Pests (194.89 KB)

Optimizing Pest Management: Field Crop and Rangeland Ecosystem Pests

(230.64 KB)

Optimizing Pest Management: Specialty Crop Pests (321.58 KB)

Optimizing Pest Management: Tree and Wood Pests (209.91 KB)

Pest Detection (213.75 KB)

Risk Analysis and Methods Development (216.82 KB)

PPQ Deputy Administrator’s Safeguarding Award and Safe Trade Award 

The PPQ Deputy Administrator's Safeguarding Award and Safe Trade Award

recognize outstanding initiatives and innovations that protect American agriculture

and plant resources.

Learn More

Need help from Plant Protection and Quarantine?

Visit Our Plant Health Contacts Directory