Agriculture Specialist Duties

As a CBP agriculture specialist, you are a valuable member of the border security profession on the frontline at ports of entry. Typical assignments include:

• Checking conveyances, commodities, and packaging materials for invasive species, contaminants, or diseases that could harm our agriculture and natural resources
• Inspecting the traveling public to prevent the intentional and unintentional entry of prohibited/restricted agriculture items
• Detecting and preventing deliberate acts of ag/bio-terrorism by the introduction of biologicals, toxins, and select agents

Typical CBP Agriculture Specialist activities include:

• Utilizing agriculture canines specifically trained to detect meat and plant materials in the international passenger, cargo, and mail environments
• Intercepting prohibited items from entering the U.S. food supply
• Using high tech instruments to detect prohibited agriculture items
• Plan, conduct, and supervise actions such as treating, disinfecting and decontaminating prohibited commodities, contaminants or agricultural materials

Opportunities for CBP Agriculture Specialists
Being a CBPAS opens up many opportunities as your career advances. In your career, you may have the opportunity to do the following:

Agriculture Canine Team: Train canines to detect hidden prohibited agriculture products

 

High Tech Instruments: Examine containers, cargo, and vehicles with digital cameras, microscopes, and non-intrusive inspection equipment

 

Collaboration: Collaborating and liaising with other federal agencies, trade partners, and CBP components to mitigate agricultural risks