Highlights in Federal Plant 
Protection and Quarantine in 
the United States 
26 
Prompted by a gift of Japanese cherry trees that was 
found to be infested with oriental fruit moth, the United 
States passed a Federal Plant Quarantine Law. 
To facilitate more effective control of the movement of 
plants and pests, predeparture inspection is established at 
some sites like Hawaii and Puerto Rico, and the Federal 
Plant Pest Act is passed. 
One-stop Federal inspection is instituted at John F. 
Kennedy International Airport in New York. Each inspector 
is tasked with all Federal entry inspections: immigration, 
public health, customs, and agriculture. Volume quickly 
becomes overwhelming. 
The Plant Protection and Quarantine Program is formed 
and placed under the newly formed Animal and Plant 
Health Service. (The word “inspection” was added to 
APHS’ name in 1972.) 
The United States becomes a signatory to the 1952 
International Plant Protection Convention. 
The United States ratifies the Convention on International 
Trade of Endangered Species (CITES), and the Federal 
Noxious Weed Act is passed. 
APHIS—PPQ plant health officials and their counterparts in 
Canada and Mexico sign the North American Plant 
Protection Agreement, the basis for NAPPO. 
The USDA Beagle Brigade begins with one dog team at 
Los Angeles International Airport to detect prohibited 
agricultural items in the baggage of international travelers. 
The National Biological Control Institute is established to 
provide leadership for biological control. 
APHIS starts collecting user fees for AQI services. 
NAFTA is ratified. 
The WTO is formed. 
APHIS’ Center for Plant Health Science and Technology is 
established. 
