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Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is an operating unit of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
APHIS' mission (2003): To protect the health and value of American agriculture and natural resources. (APHIS website, 2003)
APHIS aims to protect American animals, plants, and the agricultural industry by offering:
- Protection from invasive non-native plants, animals, insects, and diseases
- Monitoring and management of existing agricultural pests and diseases
- Resolution and management of trade issues related to animal or plant health
- Prevention or cessation of the inhumane treatment (of animals)
(APHIS website, 2000; cited at [1].)
The threats and challenges within APHIS' scope include:
- Non-compliant biotech events
- Invasive species
- Agricultural animal/plant health threats
- Agricultural bioterrorism
- SPS trade barriers
- Wildlife conflicts and diseases
- Zoonotic diseases
- Animal welfare issues
APHIS aims to protect ecosystems, natural resources, agriculture, agribusiness, agricultural exports, consumer health and safety, and animal welfare from the above threats. (APHIS website, 2003)
New challenges for APHIS include bioterrorism (Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness Act (2002) ) and BSE.
APHIS has a budget of approximately $800 million annually and employs about 7,000 people, about 5,000 of which are deployed as inspectors at ports, borders and on farms. The current APHIS administrator is Bobby R. Acord. He was appointed by Ann Veneman in 2001. (USDA Press Release, 2001)
In 2003, the border inspection responsibilities of APHIS were transferred to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, a unit of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
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