Congressional committee finds trouble with AQI program
Congressional committee finds trouble with AQI program
WASHINGTON -- A congressional hearing raised serious questions about the adequacy of border security from foreign pests and diseases, prompting one congressman to say that the Agricultural Quarantine Inspection program was "in shambles."
"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," said Dennis Cardoza (D-CA), chairman of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Horticulture and Organic Agriculture, who called the Oct. 3 hearing.
Complaints about the management of the AQI program, since it was moved from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service to the Department of Homeland Security, have caught the attention of Congress. The House Agriculture Committee attached an amendment to the 2007 farm bill that would have returned it to APHIS, but the amendment was later abandoned when the House Homeland Security Committee said it wanted to review the matter.
At the hearing, Texas, California and Florida representatives testified about their experiences since the 2003 transfer.
"Since then, we have worked diligently to try to get the Department of Homeland Security to put the proper emphasis on AQI, but we have been consistently disappointed," said Texas Produce Association President John McClung. "In the competition within the agency between bugs and thugs, we inevitably play second fiddle."
But the irony is that "in economic terms, the real terrorists may well prove to be the six- and eight-legged variety," he said. "One credible recent study put economic damage from foreign pests at around $120 billion annually."
Florida faces a unique challenge with more than 28 ports of entry, nearly 50 million visitors a year and 6 million tons of perishable cargo each year, said Charles Bronson, commissioner of the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services.
"Since AQI was transferred to DHS in 2003, there has been a 27 percent increase in the number of new plant pests and disease incursions in the state of Florida," Mr. Bronson said.
California Citrus Mutual President Joel Nelsen said that he attended six meetings at DHS headquarters in which he was assured that the identified problems would be corrected. He raised questions about slowness of the training program, adequate utilization of AQI dollars, the reduction in interceptions, interagency battles, a major deterioration of the beagle brigade program and high staff turnover.
"Well, we're through with second chances, done with third chances and tired of fourth chances," he said.
At the hearing, House Agriculture Committee investigator John Jurich detailed his investigation into the program, which was formally transferred to DHS in 2003, and called his findings "mixed and often troubling."
The transfer was "rife with turmoil" from the start as agricultural specialists lost their independence, authority, offices, government cars, desks and career ladders, Mr. Jurich said. Many inspectors "voted with their feet" and left the job, he said.
Agricultural specialists struggled with broken equipment, which DHS elected not to fix, and some worked out of their cars because there was little office space at the ports. Interviews with field staff showed that the agriculture mission was subordinate to terrorists, drugs and illegal immigrant smuggling, he said.
The number of inspections trailed off in the last few years, particularly at airports, but statistics showed an increase in cargo inspections over the last three years, he said.
"Overall interceptions -- the animal products, plant pathogens and pests that have been confiscated at the ports of entry -- have declined since the transfer of function from APHIS to CBP by 25 percent in pests, 21 percent in plant pathogens and 11 percent in animal products," he said "Overall violations also dropped off by 43 percent."
"The question before us now is whether agriculture is coming out ahead in this transition of inspection services to Homeland Security," said Rep. Randy Neugebauer (R-TX). "If it is not, this committee has a responsibility to the American people to make sure agriculture is fully protected."
"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," said Dennis Cardoza (D-CA), chairman of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Horticulture and Organic Agriculture, who called the Oct. 3 hearing.
Complaints about the management of the AQI program, since it was moved from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service to the Department of Homeland Security, have caught the attention of Congress. The House Agriculture Committee attached an amendment to the 2007 farm bill that would have returned it to APHIS, but the amendment was later abandoned when the House Homeland Security Committee said it wanted to review the matter.
At the hearing, Texas, California and Florida representatives testified about their experiences since the 2003 transfer.
"Since then, we have worked diligently to try to get the Department of Homeland Security to put the proper emphasis on AQI, but we have been consistently disappointed," said Texas Produce Association President John McClung. "In the competition within the agency between bugs and thugs, we inevitably play second fiddle."
But the irony is that "in economic terms, the real terrorists may well prove to be the six- and eight-legged variety," he said. "One credible recent study put economic damage from foreign pests at around $120 billion annually."
Florida faces a unique challenge with more than 28 ports of entry, nearly 50 million visitors a year and 6 million tons of perishable cargo each year, said Charles Bronson, commissioner of the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services.
"Since AQI was transferred to DHS in 2003, there has been a 27 percent increase in the number of new plant pests and disease incursions in the state of Florida," Mr. Bronson said.
California Citrus Mutual President Joel Nelsen said that he attended six meetings at DHS headquarters in which he was assured that the identified problems would be corrected. He raised questions about slowness of the training program, adequate utilization of AQI dollars, the reduction in interceptions, interagency battles, a major deterioration of the beagle brigade program and high staff turnover.
"Well, we're through with second chances, done with third chances and tired of fourth chances," he said.
At the hearing, House Agriculture Committee investigator John Jurich detailed his investigation into the program, which was formally transferred to DHS in 2003, and called his findings "mixed and often troubling."
The transfer was "rife with turmoil" from the start as agricultural specialists lost their independence, authority, offices, government cars, desks and career ladders, Mr. Jurich said. Many inspectors "voted with their feet" and left the job, he said.
Agricultural specialists struggled with broken equipment, which DHS elected not to fix, and some worked out of their cars because there was little office space at the ports. Interviews with field staff showed that the agriculture mission was subordinate to terrorists, drugs and illegal immigrant smuggling, he said.
The number of inspections trailed off in the last few years, particularly at airports, but statistics showed an increase in cargo inspections over the last three years, he said.
"Overall interceptions -- the animal products, plant pathogens and pests that have been confiscated at the ports of entry -- have declined since the transfer of function from APHIS to CBP by 25 percent in pests, 21 percent in plant pathogens and 11 percent in animal products," he said "Overall violations also dropped off by 43 percent."
"The question before us now is whether agriculture is coming out ahead in this transition of inspection services to Homeland Security," said Rep. Randy Neugebauer (R-TX). "If it is not, this committee has a responsibility to the American people to make sure agriculture is fully protected."
