By RACHEL LANE

D.C. Correspondent

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. borders may soon have more protection for agriculture.

Legislators in the House of Representatives have introduced House Resolution 4482 in order to employ and train more agricultural inspectors. It is welcome news for the pork industry, as African swine fever (ASF) still ravages the Chinese pig population.

In March, ag inspectors and their canine teams stopped pork products from being smuggled into the country from China, stated a Senate press release.

According to estimates, the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has a shortage of nearly 700 inspectors across the country. The inspectors and canine units inspect foreign passengers, commercial vessels, trucks, aircraft, and railcars at U.S. ports.

On a typical day, those inspectors process more than 1 million passengers and 78,000 truck, rail, and sea containers carrying goods worth approximately $7.2 billion.

H.R. 4482 – the Protecting America’s Food and Agriculture Act of 2019 – would fund the employment of an additional 240 inspectors every year until the CBP reaches full staffing. The bill is similar to Senate Bill 2107, introduced in July – both had bipartisan support and members of the agriculture committees in both chambers of Congress worked together to write the bill.

S.2107 has been put on the calendar for a vote, but a date has not been scheduled.

“We rely on agricultural inspectors at our borders to protect the safety of our food supply,” said Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), ranking chair for the Senate Agriculture Committee. ”It’s critical that we address the shortage of agriculture specialists and hire qualified staff to safeguard our food and farms.”

The Chinese government has admitted ASF has killed more than 1 million pigs in the last year, since it was discovered in the country. Cases were also discovered in parts of Europe.

USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue has said the United States is working with Canada and Mexico to make sure the disease does not enter North America.

“This bill will go a long way and do a lot of good for our industry, and for the $12 billion (worth) of fresh fruits and vegetables that cross our borders, as well as protecting the hundreds of thousands of American farmers worried about invasive pests and diseases,” said Dante Galeazzi, CEO and president of the Texas International Produce Assoc.

Millions of dollars in produce travel across the Mexican border each year. There are lines of 18-wheelers waiting to pass through checkpoints. More inspectors would move the traffic more safely and quickly.

“These hard-working men and women are on the front line of protecting our domestic agriculture industry and the health and safety of Americans from invasive pests and diseases such as citrus greening and African swine fever,” said Rep. Filemon Vela (D-Texas).

“I cannot stress enough the importance that agriculture specialists play in our everyday lives, and we need our ports to be fully staffed.”

On an average day, these specialists seize more than 2,112 kilograms of drugs, 4,370 prohibited plant materials and/or animal products, and 319 agricultural pests and diseases.