May/June 2014
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The Port of Baltimore
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agriculture by detecting and preventing entry into
the country of plant pests and exotic foreign animal
diseases. These inspectors, armed with scientific
training and a magnifying glass, look for insects
or contaminants that may be living in packaging
materials, in the mud on an imported tractor’s tires or
carried by a cruise passenger.
When a suspicious organism is found, the inspec-
tors call upon their colleagues at the U.S. Department
of Agriculture (USDA) to confirm its identity.
“The success of the Agriculture Quarantine
Inspection (AQI) program in preventing the entry of
pests and diseases is a result of the cooperative work
that CBP and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)
are doing together,” Bowman said.
The MPA also works closely with CBP to facilitate
the movement of international cruise ship passengers
through the Port. Together, they have created and
mutually operate a facility that meets the stringent
Advance reporting of manifests and
import data help target high-risk
containers for screening when they arrive.
