USDA is placing additional inspectors and dog teams at airports to check incoming flights and passengers. USDA inspectors are on heightened alert at ports of entry and airports to ensure passengers, luggage and cargo are checked as appropriate. Travelers are prohibited from carrying into the United States any agricultural products, particularly animal products, that could spread the disease. Passengers are required to identify any farm contact to Customs and USDA officials.
All baggage is subject to inspection.
The dog teams working at a number of the nation's international airports are part of the USDA Beagle Brigade. It is a special unit of passively trained detector dogs in bright green jackets. On leashes and under the constant supervision of their handlers, the beagles sniff out prohibited fruit and meat in the luggage of passengers arriving from overseas. In addition to increased inspection, USDA is launching a public education campaign that includes additional signage in airports, public service announcements, an information hotline, a Web site and other tools to inform the public about the disease and the steps they can take to prevent it from entering the United States. The disease is an extremely contagious and economically devastating disease.