The 2012 ASHS Annual Conference

Objective(s):
Tour the U.S. Customs and Boarder Protection Agency – Agriculture Facility at the Sea Port of Miami to learn how fresh vegetables, fruits, and other ornamental commodities are received, inspected, and imported into the U.S. Advance Registration Required - Copies of Identification Must Be Submitted by July 2 - Cost $32

Millions of pounds of fresh fruits, vegetables, cut flowers, herbs, and other items enter the United States via commercial shipments from other countries at multiple ports of entry every year.  Although these items appear to be harmless, there could be hidden threats in the cargo of fresh items that could seriously threaten U.S. agriculture, our natural resources, and our economy.  The U.S. Customs and Boarder Protection Agency (CBP) is one of the Department of Homeland Securities largest divisions.  CBP Agriculture Specialists and CBP Officers at U.S. ports of entry target, detect, intercept, and thereby prevent the entry of these potential threats before they have a chance to do any harm.  Each year, CBP Agriculture Specialists intercept tens of thousands of “actionable pests”, those identified through scientific risk assessment and study, as being dangerous to the health and safety of U.S. agriculture.  They check shipments for smuggled agricultural products or packaging materials that might contain invasive species, wooden pallets/packing material that could hide the larvae of wood-boring insects poised to attack native trees or nursery stock, and imported fruits and vegetables for potentially harmful pests.  The CBP Agriculture Specialists work with specialized x-ray machines that detect organic materials. They also utilize agricultural canines specifically trained to detect plant materials in international airport passenger areas.  Workshop activities will include a tour of the Sea Port-of-Miami CBP facility for agricultural commodities.  Don’t miss an opportunity to see one of the nation’s largest sea ports in action, and how it helps to protect U.S. consumers and horticultural industries.  Participation in an exclusive tour will be very limited, and is expected to be very informative. Tour co-sponsored by VCM and QUAL working groups.