Washington, DC
January 14, 2009
The U.S. Department of
Agriculture's (USDA) Animal
and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) plans to open a
new Agriculture Quarantine and Inspection (AQI) and Port
Technology Methods Development Laboratory in South Miami,
Florida later this year. Scientists at this new facility will
work to develop and validate state-of-the art commodity
treatments and port inspection technologies used by APHIS and
the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border
Protection (CBP) to ensure that agriculture imports are free of
invasive species.
"APHIS' work at this new laboratory will play a crucial role in
protecting American agriculture," said Bruce Knight, under
secretary for USDA's marketing and regulatory programs mission
area. "The new technologies developed and tested here will
ensure that invasive species that could cause irreparable harm
to this country's diverse agricultural and natural resources do
not have the opportunity to enter and become established."
This laboratory will help APHIS advance its mission to protect
the United States' agricultural and natural resources from
invasive plant pests and diseases. The scientists' focus at this
facility includes developing alternatives to methyl bromide for
fumigation, treatment methods and pest detection technologies
for use in the ports, including chemical sensors and acoustic
devices. In addition, work on controlled temperature and
atmosphere treatments for commodities, as well as methods to
trace a commodities origin, also will take place.
This new methods development laboratory, which is part of APHIS'
Center for Plant Health and Science Technology, consolidates
similar work conducted at several APHIS laboratories across the
country. APHIS chose the South Miami location for many reasons
which include its proximity to large air and maritime ports of
entry, where 84 percent of all cut flowers and 54 percent of all
fruits and vegetables are imported into the United States.
The new laboratory, which is scheduled to open later this year
also, is collocated with USDA's Agricultural Research Service
(ARS) and close to CBP offices in the area. The collocation of
APHIS AQI and ARS will provide a significant enhancement of
research and implementation of new technologies to safeguard
U.S. agriculture. Since 2003, APHIS and CBP have worked
cooperatively to ensure that foreign plant and animal pests and
diseases do not enter the United States. Through risk
assessments, pathway analyses and rulemaking activities, APHIS
continues to set the regulations governing agricultural imports,
as well as develop and test methods for detection and treatment
of invasive pests and diseases. CBP is responsible for
conducting port-of-entry inspections to ensure that commodities
are free of foreign pests and diseases. For more information on
APHIS and its agriculture safeguarding activities, go to
www.aphis.usda.gov. |
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