Agriculture security threats exist nationwide, across all modes – air, land, and sea – and in both the trade and travel environments. In the trade environment, each year, CBP processes nearly 30 million cargo containers that arrive by ship, plane, truck, and train at our POEs across the country. CBPAS use automated systems to place holds on targeted shipments and conveyances and work with specialized x-ray machines that detect organic materials. They check containers and trucks for smuggled agricultural products or packaging materials, such as wooden pallets that might contain invasive species that could harm our agriculture and environment. In a similar capacity, at international mail and express consignment (ECO) facilities, CBPAS screen shipments for the presence of infested or prohibited agricultural materials.

Most borders and ports now use X-ray screening for unit load devices (ULDs) and containers to identify smuggled items and security threats. This technology is particularly useful as it provides an image of the shipped content without the need for physical interference. The truck is being sent through an X-ray scanner, after which the scanned image is analysed by the operator. Only if a further investigation is needed, the shipment is put aside for manual inspection.