Customs discovers ‘actionable pest’ in Aguadilla cargo
On Oct. 8, 2013, CBP Agriculture Specialists at the Aguadilla Port intercepted a “Brevipalpus” insect on a shipment of avocados. (Credit: Wikipedia)
An entomologist from the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed recently that Customs and Border Protection Agriculture Specialists made a first in port discovery of an insect within an imported air cargo shipment of avocados arriving at the Rafael Hernández International Airport.
On Oct. 8, 2013, CBP Agriculture Specialists at the Aguadilla Port intercepted an insect on a shipment of avocados, subsequently identified as “Brevipalpus,” which is an actionable pest and a “First Time in Port” interception.
Several other actionable pests have been intercepted in Puerto Rico ports this month. In these cases, CBP issues an Emergency Action Notification to the importer requiring the shipment to be re-exported or fumigated. The shipments were safeguarded and transferred to USDA for treatment, the agency said.
“I would like to recognize the outstanding work that Agriculture Specialists at the San Juan Field Office perform daily,” said Mirella Couto, San Juan assistant director of Field Operations for Trade. “These discoveries are a significant accomplishment, as well as a sobering warning of potential agricultural threats.”
CBP agriculture specialists work closely with USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Plant Protection and Quarantine to protect agriculture resources against the introduction of foreign plant pests and animal diseases.
CBP agriculture specialists have extensive training and experience in the biological sciences and agricultural inspection. Their duties include inspecting tens of thousands of international air passengers and air and sea cargo that arrive into the United States each day and intercepting numerous actionable pests, or those identified through scientific risk assessment and study as being dangerous to the health and safety of U.S. agricultural resources.
