July 30, 2011

Since 9/11, CBP has trained more agriculture specialists, implemented more stringent targeting techniques, improved partnerships with Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and enhanced communications with the state agriculture departments. An example of strengthened partnerships and enhancements in training and technology is CBP’s interception of the khapra beetle. Due to an increasing number of khapra beetle detections at U.S. ports of entry in shipments of rice, the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a federal quarantine that restricts the importation of rice from khapra beetle endemic countries effective July 30.