Florida Commissioner Testifies on Agriculture Inspections Before House Ag Subcommittee
News Date October 09, 2007
On Wednesday, October 3, the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Horticulture and Organic Agriculture held a hearing on the efficacy of the Agriculture Quarantine Inspection (AQI) functions since it was transferred to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from USDA in March of 2003. The AQI functions are critical to domestic agriculture production since they are responsible for ensuring travelers and imported cargo entering the country are not carrying foreign pests and diseases that could decimate sectors of our agricultural economy.
The hearing focused on concerns that have been raised by recent reports from the General Accounting Office, USDA's Inspector General, and the House Committee on Agriculture's own internal investigation that shows the AQI function is not a priority at DHS compared to the other port inspections functions that are primarily concerned with looking for intentional acts of terrorism and weapons of mass destruction.
In addition to the panel of investigators, a second panel of witnesses representing specialty crop states that also receive high volumes of imports at their ports and airports testified on the importance of border inspections and the health and economic consequences of a foreign pest or disease being brought into the country. Florida Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson testified that his state has seen a 27 percent rise in plant pest and disease incursions since the transfer. Bronson also noted that communications between DHS and state departments of agriculture are virtually nonexistent and felt as though DHS was not taking advantage of state capabilities that can augment their efforts. California Citrus Mutual and the Texas Produce Association also testified and shared similar stories of prohibited products coming into their states after having cleared DHS inspections.
Subcommittee Chairman Dennis Cardoza (D-Calif.), echoing the feelings of many members of the committee, stated that "Stopping foreign pests and prohibited agricultural products from entering the U.S. might not be as sexy as stopping terrorists, weapons or drugs but it is certainly just as important." Ranking Member Randy Neugebauer (R-Texas) stated "Since the transfer of inspection responsibilities to Homeland Security, we have seen firsthand the subpar performance." Neugebauer further noted that if DHS cannot improve their performance in this arena " . . . this Committee has a responsibility to the American people to make sure agriculture is fully protected." (Contact: Bob Ehart or Jennifer Yezak)