If an application does not fall 
within APHIS’ authority, the permit 
unit will try to find out where the 
applicant can get more informa- 
tion. The permit unit manages a 
high volume of requests and 
interprets the constantly changing 
import regulations for myriad 
plants and plant products. 
For some commodities, no 
acceptable quarantine treatments 
have been proven to destroy pests 
and diseases of concern. These 
commodities are not allowed to be 
imported. 
Many plants and animals whose 
populations are threatened in the 
wild are protected by the Conven- 
tion on International Trade in 
Endangered Species of Wild 
Fauna and Flora (CITES). The 
purpose of this treaty is to regulate 
the commercial trade of endan- 
gered and threatened plants and 
animals and monitor trade 
involving species that may 
become extinct in the near future. 
CITES-protected items must be 
accompanied by special paper- 
—— i ast i tst—‘itse 
work and are subject to careful 
inspection at only certain PPQ- 
staffed ports of entry. 
PPQ enforces the plant provisions 
of CITES and inspects all ship- 
ments of plants and plant products 
presented for importation at any of 
its 15 designated plant inspection 
stations located nationwide (or for 
CITES plants, at other inspection 
ports approved by the U.S. 
Department of the Interior like 
Laredo, TX). These plant inspec- 
tion stations are located at 
Nogales, AZ, New Orleans, LA, 
San Juan, PR, San Francisco, San 
Ysidro, and Los Angeles, CA, 
Miami and Orlando, FL, Los 
Indios, El Paso, and Houston, TX, 
Honolulu, HI, John F. Kennedy 
International Airport, NY, Seattle, 
WA, and Linden, Nu. 
At the National Plant Germplasm 
and Quarantine Center in 
Beltsville, MD, employees 
specialize in postentry require- 
ments (like quarantines) and seed 
imports and facilitate the importa- 
PPQ officers are trained to examine items to see 
if they are protected under the CITES agreement. 
