Management and coordination problems in the Department of Homeland Security’s Agricultural Quarantine Inspection program are increasing the danger posed by foreign pests and disease, the Government Accountability Office has said.
It said the problems originated from the transfer in 2003 of more than 1,800 agriculture specialists within the Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, while USDA retained responsibility for inspection activities such as setting policy, providing training, and collecting user fees.
According to GAO-06-644, CBP and APHIS have expanded training on agriculture issues, have taken steps to enable agriculture specialists to better target shipments and passengers through U.S. ports of entry for inspection, put processes in place to assess the implementation of AQI policy, and created a new agriculture liaison position in each of its district field offices to advise regional directors on agricultural issues.
However, the report said CBP’s performance measures fail to take into account the agency’s expanded mission or consider all pathways by which prohibited items or pests can get in — via commercial aircraft, vessels, and truck cargo, for example.
