UTES TASES I | 
Through its 
activities, APHIS 
protects not only 
agriculture but 
also forest, 
rangeland, 
and wetland 
ecosystems. 
The first and most effective means of protec- 
tion is through exclusion or prevention of 
intentional or accidental entry of harmful 
invasive species. A second strategy uses tac- 
tics that include detecting, eradicating, man- 
aging, or controlling specific pests that have 
become established. 
Endangered species also need special protec- 
tion against a host of attackers. Endangered 
species are rescued from illegal trade at ports 
of entry and protected within the United 
States. Invasive species can be a threat to 
indigenous endangered species. Finally, 
human populations need help in coping with 
the needs of certain wild animals, such as 
migratory birds, so that human activity and 
wildlife can coexist. 
APHIS is continuously improving techniques 
to prevent the accidental introduction of 
nonnative species into the United States 
while at the same time working to eradicate 
foreign species that have already established 
a foothold. While invasive species will con- 
tinue to present problems into the future, 
APHIS scientists are also working with the 
agriculture seed industry to ensure that a 
new type of technology, biotechnology, 
does not. 
Biotechnology 
Biotechnology allows for the production of 
genetically modified organisms (GMOs). A 
GMO is developed by altering an organism’s 
genetic material, deoxyribonucleic acid 
(DNA), for the purpose of creating a better 
organism. As technology improves, applica- 
tions for GMOs increase, and the number of 
GMOs being created grows more rapidly. 
GMOs have frequently been aimed at creat- 
ing plants with pest resistance that enables 
growers to use less pesticides. Genetically 
engineered varieties exist now for almost all 
of the major crops. There are more than 
28,000 sites throughout the United States 
testing GMOs. Genetic engineering is being 
4 Future Trends in Agncultural Trade 
used in the production of pharmaceuticals, 
nutraceuticals (“functional foods”), gene 
therapy, and the development of animals and 
plants with borrowed genetic traits. In 1999, 
a third of the corn, half the soybeans, and 
almost 60 percent of the cotton grown in the 
United States were genetically engineered. 
Genetically modified plants that can tolerate 
herbicides, resist insects or viruses, or pro- 
duce modified fruit or flowers are being 
grown and tested. Copies of genes for these 
traits have been transferred to the plants by 
genetic engineering techniques from other 
unrelated plants, bacteria, or viruses. Corn 
plants that produce an insecticidal protein 
to resist European corn borers, the most 
serious insect threat to American corn 
today, and potatoes that resist both virus 
and insect attacks from the Colorado potato 
beetle are examples of recently developed 
transgenic plants. 
APHIS regulates the field testing of geneti- 
cally engineered plants by administering the 
Plant Protection Act. While this Act author- 
izes the agency to regulate the interstate 
movement and importation of materials with 
a pest risk, it also authorizes the release (for 
field testing) of “organisms and products 
altered or produced through genetic engi- 
neering, which are plant pests or which 
there is reason to believe are plant pests.” A 
plant pest is a risk to other plants and agro- 
ecosystems. The term “plant pest” 1s gener- 
ally applied to weeds, insects, and diseases 
but can be applied to GMOs. Applying “plant 
pest” to a genetically engineered plant means - 
only that the nonpest nature of the plant has 
yet to be demonstrated. 
Biotechnology is the cutting edge of 
agricultural science, and APHIS will con- 
tinue to work with the industry to confirm 
that new products pose no plant pest risk. 
There is, however, a new threat or risk 
that APHIS hopes never to see realized: 
acts of bioterrorism. 
