APHIS has been a singular leader in provid- 
ing technical assistance related to biotech- 
nology. APHIS has delivered technical 
presentations and participated in various 
symposiums in Europe, Turkey, India, and 
Poland and hosted delegates from foreign 
countries on numerous occasions to provide 
a review of U.S. biotech regulatory policy and 
practices. 
APHIS also provides technical assistance in 
the area of disease control. In 1999, APHIS 
veterinary officials traveled to Colombia to 
review its national animal health infrastruc- 
ture and provide recommendations. APHIS 
has provided expertise on tuberculosis and 
brucellosis management to numerous for- 
eign countries and regularly addresses 
nations’ management concerns about foot- 
and-mouth disease. On the plant side, APHIS 
is part of the Moscamed team that is working 
to prevent the spread of the Mediterranean 
fruit fly from Central America. 
Smuggling Interdiction and 
Trade Compliance 
Because foreign countries, including some 
U.S. trading partners, have plant and animal 
pests and diseases that could be harmful to 
U.S. agriculture, APHIS is responsible for 
regulating agricultural commodities brought 
into the United States. In response to the 
growing volume of smuggled agricultural 
products, APHIS’ PPQ unit created the 
Smuggling Interdiction and Trade 
Compliance (SITC) Program. The SITC 
Program works closely with Federal, State, 
and private organizations, including several 
other USDA agencies. These SITC officers 
ensure compliance with U.S. agricultural 
import laws. 
Complementing the work of PPQ inspectors 
at U.S. ports of entry, SITC officers discover 
and close the pathways through which pro- 
hibited commodities enter the United States. 
They also examine produce at U.S. markets 
and trace the source of any smuggled pro- 
duce found there. Sometimes vendors do not 
even realize they are selling prohibited 
items. SITC officers work with vendors to 
explain Federal regulations and trace the 
pathway for the illegal importation. The indi- 
vidual or company responsible for importing 
the smuggled produce is prosecuted. 
Tasked with bringing smugglers to justice, 
SITC officers seize and destroy all prohibited 
materials at the lawbreaker’s expense. If war- 
ranted, APHIS also pursues civil or criminal 
penalties. Efforts have led to grand jury 
indictments and Federal sentencing, hun- 
dreds of thousands of dollars in fines, and 
seizures of prohibited agricultural products 
valued at several million dollars. 
Trade Negotiations and Compliance 5 
