Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) continued to push the United States’ line of defense against invasive pests and diseases further offshore, allowing action to be taken against pests hitchhiking on or in imported goods before they reached U.S. borders. They fought back against the spread of damaging pests such as exotic fruit flies, citrus greening, Asian longhorned beetle, boll weevil, and pale cyst nematodes that threatened our Nation’s crops and forests. In total, their efforts protected more than $98 billion worth of U.S. agriculture production and exports valued at over $138 billion.
On the world stage, PPQ helped U.S. agriculture thrive in the global marketplace. They developed and promoted science-based standards, helping to create a safe, fair, and predictable agricultural trade system that minimizes the spread of invasive plant pests and diseases. They reached critical plant health agreements and resolved plant health barriers to trade to open, expand, and retain U.S. export markets valued at nearly $23 billion. With the help of PPQ, U.S. producers meet foreign market access requirements and certified the health of more than 738,000 exports, securing economic opportunities for U.S. products abroad.
