Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS): USDA's 
lead agency for international activities, 
including trade negotiations, promotion of 
U.S. agricultural products abroad, and the 
collection of statistics and market 
information. 
Foreign Animal Disease Diagnostic 
Laboratory (FADDL): This Veterinary 
Services laboratory is used for the diagnosis 
and study of foreign animal diseases. FADDL 
is located on Plum Island, NY. 
Free Trade Areas for the Americas (FTAA): 
An agreement signed by the United States 
and 33 leaders from Central and South 
America and the Caribbean that makes a 
joint declaration of their commitment to 
hemispheric economic and trade integration 
by 2005. 
General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 
(GATT): A multilateral agreement, estab- 
lished in the wake of World War II, that laid 
down rules for international trade. 
Genetically modified organism (GMO): 
A living organism that has been altered by 
manipulating its deoxyribonucleic acid 
(DNA) for the purpose of improving an old 
organism or creating a new one. 
Gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar): A devastat- 
ing insect pest that feeds on leaf foliage. 
There are two strains of this moth, the 
European and the Asian. Both are very 
destructive and can cause great damage to 
ecosystems within the United States by 
defoliating thousands of acres of forests. 
Harmonization: Establishment, recognition, 
and application of phytosanitary measures by 
different countries based on common 
standards. 
International Plant Protection Convention 
(IPPC): A subsidiary of the United Nations 
Food and Agriculture Organization focused 
on preventing the spread of plant-borne dis- 
eases and pests and developing science-based 
plant quarantine requirements for interna- 
tional trade. 
International Regulation Retrieval System 
(IRRS): A database maintained by Veterinary 
Services that lists the animal health require- 
ments of foreign countries. 
International Services (IS): The division of 
APHIS that works outside the United States 
to keep agricultural pests and diseases from 
entering the country, to facilitate agricul- 
tural exports, and to bring agricultural trade 
into harmony with agricultural health 
worldwide. 
Invasive species: Animals, plants, and 
pathogens non-native to a country or region 
that threaten native forms of life in that 
region. 
Karnal bunt: A disease of wheat caused by 
the fungus Tilletia indica Mitra, also known 
as Neovossia indica. The disease reduces 
crop yield and reduces the marketability of 
the grain. 
Mediterranean fruit fly (Medfly) (Ceratitis 
capitata): A destructive insect pest that 
feeds on many fruits, including citrus. The 
female Medfly attacks ripening fruit, piercing 
the soft skin and laying eggs in the puncture. - 
The eggs hatch into larvae, which feed inside 
the fruit pulp. 
Moscamed: Cooperative program between 
the governments of the United States, 
Mexico, and Guatemala. The program 
works to eradicate the Mediterranean fruit 
fly from Mexico and to maintain a barrier in 
Guatemala to halt the pest’s northern spread. 
