SUMMARY OF ACTIVITIES, FISCAL YEAR 1963 
PLANT QUARANTINE DIVISION 
Injurious insects, plant disease organisms, and other agricultural pests cost 
the people of the United States billions of dollars each year in direct losses 
to crops and in necessary control and eradication measures. Most of this 
expense is chargeable to pests that gained entry through foreign commerce 
and travel prior to the enactment of legislation designed to protect against 
further damage to the Nation's food and fiber crops. Without a continued 
strong inspection and quarantine program many thousands of additional plant 
pests could become established and result inenormous losses to the 
agricultural economy ofthe Nation. It is the responsibility of the Plant 
Quarantine Division to prevent the entry into the United States of such foreign 
pests. The Division is also charged with the responsibility of preventing the 
spread of pests from offshore areas of the United States to the mainland, and 
between suchareas, It shares in the responsibility for preventing the spread 
of plant pests within the continental United States, 
An additional important responsibility of the Division is the inspection and 
certification of domestically grown plants and plant products to meet the 
import requirements of foreign countries, Although in a somewhat different 
category than plant quarantine restrictions on imports, export certification 
helps to strengthen the international fight against dissemination of plant 
pests and so indirectly reinforces our national defense against foreignpests, 
It also bolsters the agricultural economy of the United States by enhancing 
the acceptability of our farm products in the world markets, 
To meet its responsibilities, the Division maintains inspection staffs at some 
73 major ocean, Great Lakes, air, and border ports of entry in the continental 
United States and in Hawaii, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the American Virgin 
Islands, In addition, services are provided on a regular or on-call basis at 
approximately 284 outlying ports and military installations throughout the 
United States, Plant quarantine inspectors at these ports, working in coopera- 
tion with Customs, examine ships, airplanes, vehicles, trains, baggage, and 
mail to enforce applicable quarantine regulations, They also inspect cargoes 
of restricted plant materials and non-restricted general cargoes, and apply 
treatments or other safeguards as necessary. 
The task of defending our agricultural resources against foreign plant pests 
grows larger and more difficulteachyear, The steady growthof international 
travel, the continuing acceleration in transportation concepts, and the opening 
of many interior traffic centers for entry of travelers andagricultural 
materials bring the potential for introductionof foreign plant pests significantly 
close to the Nation's agricultural heartland. 
The danger that injurious foreign insects, plant diseases, and other plant 
pests will gain entry into the United States is related directly to the volume 
of international travel and commerce, The number of foreign arrivals and 
