USDA invests more than $70M to protect against invasive pests
The USDA says it has invested more than $70 million in 374 projects through its Plant Protection Act’s Section 7721 program, with the projected intended to help enhance pest detection and mitigation efforts.
“With our partners throughout the country, these projects will help in the fight against invasive plant pests and diseases, protecting growers and creating more export opportunities for American products,” Jenny Moffitt, undersecretary for USDA’s Marketing and Regulatory Programs, said in the release.
USDA said the Plant Pest and Disease Management and Disaster Prevention Program will manage 353 of the funded projects and the National Clean Plant Network will manage the other 21 projects. The National Clean Plant Network maintains the infrastructure needed for pathogen, disease and pest-free-certified planting materials.
Some of the projects selected for funding this year include:
- Agriculture plant pest detector dog teams — $6,265,992 allocated to California, Florida and nationally to support detector dog team training and maintenance for domestic pest detection.
- Tribal organization’s plant protection research, survey, outreach and invasive pest mitigation efforts — $1,545,290 in six states.
- National Honey Bee Survey — $1,521,204 to support honey bee surveys in 41 states and territories.
- Stone fruit and orchard commodities — $1,045,748 to support pest detection surveys in 12 states, including Colorado, Massachusetts, New York, Texas and Washington.
- Northern giant hornet research and eradication efforts — $1,097,052 in Washington.
- Certified, disease-free citrus planting materials — $1,759,935 to protect U.S. nurseries and growers from economic losses caused by citrus plant diseases.
USDA says it has supported 5,520 projects and provided nearly $870 million in PPA 7721 funding since 2009. These projects help USDA and its partners quickly detect and respond to invasive plant pests and diseases, according to the release.
USDA said it also plans to allocate approximately $11 million for rapid responses to invasive pest emergencies, addressing pests with high economic consequences. In the past, USDA has used these funds to respond quickly to threats such as spotted lanternfly, Asian longhorned beetle and invasive fruit flies, the release said.
