Message from the Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) Deputy Administrator

I am pleased to announce that, after 6 years of dedicated effort, the implementation process for the Safeguarding Review is now complete. We have faced many challenges along the way that could easily have derailed this effort, but we remained focused on the need for honest assessment and continual improvement. That focus, the commitment of PPQ employees, and the support of the rest of our stakeholder community, along with the National Plant Board (NPB), paved the way for this outstanding achievement.

Perhaps the greatest single accomplishment to be derived from the Safeguarding Review is the establishment within the PPQ culture of a will to improve. The recommendations in the Safeguarding Review and the support of PPQ's stakeholder community have inspired us to not only implement the recommendations of the Review, but to look beyond them for additional opportunities to strengthen, improve, or enhance our efforts. We gratefully acknowledge the dedicated work of the Review group and of the many employees of PPQ, partner agencies, State cooperators, and the NPB who worked on planning, peer review, and implementation activities in support of the Safeguarding Review recommendations. We appreciate the support and commitment of the leadership within Plant Protection and Quarantine, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The support and engagement of the stakeholder community was equally critical to our success. PPQ is a very different organization from what it was in 1999 when the Safeguarding Review was completed. We are stronger. We are more prepared to meet the challenges of the modern world. We are focused on the future, but ever mindful of our proud past.

Our response to the Safeguarding Review has made us a much stronger and healthier organization. We should be proud of our record of accomplishment. The legacy of this effort will live on in our day-to-day activities and in our commitment to our mission. We will continue to recognize that legacy in our actions and through the Safeguarding Awards. I thank all of you for your contributions to this significant accomplishment.

Richard L. Dunkle
Deputy Administrator
Plant Protection & Quarantine

Message From The National Plant Board President

A continuing increase in global trade has presented new risks to the U.S. plant protection system. Introductions of such pests as Medfly, citrus canker, Asian longhorned beetle and other wood-boring insects and plant diseases through numerous ports of entry have resulted in costly eradication efforts by Government and industry. By the mid-90's these pest episodes had aroused congressional interests in large agricultural States, causing the USDA to focus critically on its safeguarding system.

Similar internal studies had been conducted in the past by USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Plant Protection and Quarantine Program (PPQ). PPQ decided to have this review of its safeguarding system conducted by the Agency's stakeholders and asked the National Plant Board (NPB) to organize and conduct this process. The NPB agreed to conduct this review under the guidance of a PPQ Steering Committee and with the leadership of a Review Panel chaired by non-plant board personnel. We obtained the assistance of a Review Team comprised of 43 representatives of Government, industry, and academia. This Review Team was charged by PPQ to address six questions that fit into four major areas: worldwide or international pest information, pest exclusion, permitting, and domestic detection and response. A committee was formed to address each of these major review areas.

The Safeguarding report resulting from this effort identified over 300 recommendations to PPQ for consideration to improve the safeguarding system. The USDA embraced the report and created a series of implementation committees to review the recommendations and identify implementation processes. As of 2005, most of the recommendations have been implemented. The safeguarding report continues to provide a blueprint for strategic pest management planning by the USDA, State plant pest regulatory officials and industry. The report, because of its deep stakeholder involvement also provides the basis for pest management policy and budget planning. The NPB is proud of its role in this precedent setting and dynamic document and is committed to collaboration with USDA, industry and other plant pest management organizations in carrying out the recommendations of this document.

Kenneth J. Rauscher

President, National Plant Board

"The United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Plant Protection and Quarantine (USDA-APHIS-PPQ) is the primary Federal agency charged with overseeing the plant safeguarding system. Responsibility for preventing entry of invasive plant pests into the United States was delegated to the Agency by the United States Congress through statutory law contained in eleven separate acts.... The challenge to APHIS-PPQ lies in designing, implementing, and evaluating a safeguarding system within the framework of an ever-changing global economy.

Recent breaches of the APHIS-PPQ safeguarding system that led to entry of dangerous invasive plant pests into the U. S. have raised concerns that the current organizational practices and procedures are inadequate to execute Agency functions....

Recognizing the need to enhance the effectiveness of current safeguarding procedures, the Agency sought input from stakeholders through a formal review process. Under a cooperative agreement with APHIS-PPQ, the National Plant Board assembled a 43-member team of external stakeholders led by two Chairpersons and five Committee Chairs, as well as a Project Advisor and Project Specialist. Team members represented industry, state regulators, research and academia, and environmental groups."

USDA/APHIS/PPQ has responded to the report by establishing 17 Issue Groups to develop the action plans for implementation of the recommendations. A large part of implementation includes stakeholder input.

The purpose of this site is to provide a venue for all stakeholders, internal and external, to comment on the recommendations from the report and to ask questions of the Issue Groups that are formulating PPQ action plans for implementation. Your comments, questions, and the Issue Group responses will be stored in a database and become a part of the permanent review record.

The entire report is a lengthy document that can be downloaded here in pdf format. Because most stakeholders have specific interest areas, this site allows you to view and respond to recommendations in multiple ways.

You can see recommendations 1) by NPB Review Committee, 2) by PPQ Issue Group responsibility, or 3) by keyword search. For each committee and recommendation, you can view stakeholder comments, questions and committee answers. You can respond to recommendations by submitting comments or asking questions. Questions will be answered by Issue Group Leaders and posted on this site.