U.S. Customs and Border Protection face a formidable job in inspecting fresh fruit arriving in the region, the agency noted in a rare press release that did not focus on an individual enforcement action.
The Area Port of Philadelphia, which includes the ports of Philadelphia and Wilmington, encompasses a geographic range of approximately 1,150 square miles, including territory from Pennsylvania, Delaware, and central/southern New Jersey, the agency noted.
Each week, more than 27 million bunches of bananas and 6 million pineapples arrive into the Area Port of Philadelphia for distribution around the country.
There is no slow season, according to the release.
When certain imports decrease, others increase. As imports of citrus from Morocco and Spain; grapes from Peru and Chile; and plums, peaches, nectarines, and apricots from Chile are currently winding down, arrivals of apples from New Zealand, citrus from Chile and South Africa, avocado and citrus from Peru, and corn and soybean seeds from Chile and Argentina are beginning to pick up.
In all, CPB in Philadelphia and Wilmington clear more than 73,000 cargo shipments per year of agricultural commodities.
Agriculture specialists search through thousands of shipments of fruit each day, looking for the tiniest of insects; it can be like looking for a needle in a haystack, the release noted.
In addition, CBP collaborates extensively with industry partners, such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), importers, shippers, terminal operators, shipping lines, and Customs brokers to continuously develop innovative methods to efficiently clear cargo. Clearing cargo includes the review of thousands of import permits, foreign government certifications, and invoices.
According to the USDA, agriculture is the largest industry and employment sector in the United States, with more than $1 trillion in annual economic activity. The potential impact of a pest coming into the United States can be catastrophic.
For example, invasive species cause $138 billion annually in economic and environmental losses in the United States, including yield and quality losses for America’s agriculture industry.
“Protection agriculture specialists directly influences our everyday lives by keeping destructive pests and other threats out of our country, which in turn allows consumers to enjoy these imports,” said Joseph Martella, CBP Port Director for the Area Port of Philadelphia. “It is imperative to identify and stop pests and diseases at the border before they can be spread elsewhere.”
Every year, tens of thousands of pests are intercepted by CBP agriculture specialists, the release noted.
“Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists at the Port of Philadelphia and the Port of Wilmington are the first line of defense against destructive pests entering the United States,” said Casey Owen Durst, CBP’s field operations director in Baltimore. “The amount of dedication, hard work, and attention to detail is just another example of the unwavering commitment by CBP to keeping our country safe.”
On a typical day in fiscal year 2017, CBP agriculture specialists discovered 352 pests at U.S. ports of entry and 4,638 materials for quarantine.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control, and protection of the nation’s borders at and between the official ports of entry.
