Most imported agricultural products, such as live animal and plants, are inspected by U.S. government officials and have accompanying documentation—animal and plant health import permits—certifying adherence to U.S. requirements. The USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) regulates the import, transit, and release of regulated animals, animal products, veterinary biologics, plants, plant products, pests, organisms, soil, and genetically engineered organisms. Animal and plant health import permits include components from U.S. specific regulations and World Trade Organization (WTO) guidelines. Further, these health import permits are a part of broader agreements between the United States and its trading partners in the WTO that establish sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) standards. SPS measures aim to protect against diseases, pests, toxins, and other contaminants. APHIS works with the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Customs and Border Protection (CBP), in addition to other federal agencies (e.g., Food Safety and Inspection Service, Food and Drug Administration), to enforce agricultural import regulations. APHIS and CBP personnel inspect shipments of imported agricultural products and certify that the required animal or plant health import permits and SPS documentation accompany each shipment. The Animal Health Protection Act (AHPA, 7 U.S.C. § § 8301 et seq .) The Plant Protection Act of 2000 (PPA, 7 U.S.C. § § 7701 et seq . ) Congress passed the Public Health Security and the Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002 (16 U.S.C. The Subcommittees on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees appropriate funds for APHIS. The Safeguarding and Emergency Preparedness/Response portion of the APHIS budget is responsible for monitoring animal and plant health in the United States and throughout the world and represents roughly 85% of APHIS's annual budget. One of the flagship programs that APHIS and CBP collaborate on and administer is the Agricultural Quarantine Inspection (AQI) program. AQI ensures that the required health permits, sanitary certificates (for animal products), and phytosanitary certificates (for plant products) accompany each shipment. APHIS transfers funds to CBP to conduct AQI activities. In addition to APHIS, Congress has directed other federal agencies and state-level Departments of Agriculture (see Table 2 ) to participate in inspecting APHIS-regulated products:
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has taken steps to protect the public from terrorist attacks on the U.S. food supply and other food-related emergencies in collaboration with DHS. Congressional Activities

Congress has long been involved in efforts to prevent the entry of pest and disease threats into the United States from agricultural imports. This oversight has manifest in various congressional actions, including continuing to provide APHIS with appropriations to monitor pests and diseases, introducing legislation to address invasive species (e.g., Areawide Integrated Pest Management, H.R. 5411 , 115 th Congress), and directing CBP to enforce APHIS regulations to deter agricultural smuggling into the United States. APHIS-issued animal and plant health import permits can be a tool to prevent agricultural import threats to the United States. APHIS informs U.S. importers of the trading partner outbreak. U.S. importers work with APHIS to verify that the health import permit reflects the disease or pest status of the exporting country. Requiring U.S. importers to obtain APHIS-issued health import permits is one way that APHIS and the CBP protect against agroterrorism.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the U.S. government authority tasked with regulating the import, transit, and release of regulated animals, animal products, veterinary biologics, plants, plant products, pests, organisms, soil, and genetically engineered organisms. APHIS provides scientific authorities in trade partner countries and U.S. importers with animal and plant health import regulations.
APHIS requires U.S. importers to obtain animal or plant health import permits, which verify that the items being imported meet U.S. import standards. Animal and plant health import permits certify that imports follow U.S. regulations, World Trade Organization (WTO) guidelines, and/or trading partner specific requirements. These import permits are a part of broader agreements between the United States and its trading partners within the WTO on established sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures. These measures aim to protect against diseases, pests, toxins, and other contaminants. The House and Senate Agricultural Appropriations Committees appropriate funds that allow APHIS to carry out a range of activities, including those involved in issuing import permits. From FY2014 to FY2018, discretionary appropriations for APHIS have averaged nearly $900 million. About 85% of the APHIS budget is allocated to the "Safeguarding and Emergency Preparedness/Response" mission area, which includes the administration of health import permits and other efforts to prevent imports of pests and diseases into the United States.
APHIS's authority over agricultural imports is largely provided by the Animal Health Protection Act (7 U.S.C. §§8301 et seq.), the Plant Protection Act (7 U.S.C. §§7701 et seq.), and the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. §§8401). These laws authorize APHIS to administer animal and plant health import permits and conduct agricultural import inspections. APHIS works with other federal agencies, such as the Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection (CBP), to conduct animal and plant health monitoring programs and to determine if new pest or disease management programs are needed. In addition, Congress directs the Food and Drug Administration, the Food Safety and Inspection Service, and state-level Departments of Agriculture to participate in inspecting many products regulated by APHIS.
APHIS and CBP personnel inspect shipments of imported agricultural products and certify that the required import health permits and SPS certificates accompany each shipment. One of the major flagship programs that APHIS and CBP administer together is the Agricultural Quarantine Inspection (AQI) program, in which APHIS and CBP technical staff work to ensure that the required animal or plant health permits, sanitary certificates (for animal products), and phytosanitary certificates (for plant products) accompany each shipment. APHIS transfers funds to CBP to conduct AQI activities.
The ongoing congressional commitment to preventing plant and animal disease and pests from entering the United States through agricultural imports is evident in annual appropriations Congress provides for APHIS. Congress has directed APHIS to monitor pests and diseases and has assigned APHIS to oversee SPS activities in some free trade agreements. Moreover, legislation introduced in the 115th Congress sought to address invasive species (e.g., Areawide Integrated Pest Management, H.R. 5411) and would have directed CBP to enforce APHIS regulations to deter smuggling of plants and animals into the United States.