Resource Search

You cannot protect the environment without also safeguarding plant health. When plant pests and diseases spread into new areas they seriously damage entire ecosystems, putting at risk biological diversity and the environment itself. Tiny and lethal at the same time, plant pests and invasive alien species have been recently identified as the main driver of biodiversity loss. Pests are also responsible for losses of up to USD 220 billion in agricultural trade each year and the loss of 40 percent of the global food crop production. Climate change is making the situation even worse. It is changing the life cycle of pests – sometimes increasing the number of yearly generations - and creating new niches where they can thrive. For more information see the IPPC factsheet "Plant Health and Environmental Protection [PDF, 1.22 MB]".

The EPA issued a final vessel general permit (VGP) regulating vessel discharges from commercial vessels, including ballast water, to protect the nation's waters from ship-borne pollutants and reduce invasive species in U.S. waters. The permit imposes international cleanliness standards that the Coast Guard also adopted in regulations it issued last year.

Note: On December 4, 2018, President Trump signed into law the Frank LoBiondo Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2018, which includes as Title IX the Vessel Incident Discharge Act of 2018 (“VIDA”). The new regulations will replace the EPA’s 2013 Vessel General Permit (“VGP”). EPA first issued the Vessel General Permit (VGP) in 2008 and subsequently reissued it in 2013.

The 20-year fight against plum pox – a serious agricultural disease capable of devastating stone fruits like peaches, apricots, cherries, and almonds – is finally over, thanks to a cooperative effort by the Agricultural Research Service and their partners.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is announcing 2018 Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) eradication plans. APHIS, together with the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, and the Ohio Department of Agriculture, is making steady progress towards the elimination of this destructive tree pest from the United States. "We want to remind the public that program officials are going door-to-door conducting tree inspections in areas quarantined for the beetle," said Josie Ryan, APHIS' ALB Eradication Program national operations manager. "You can help us by allowing our program officials access to the trees on your property."

USDA and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services have been fighting to stop the spread of the giant African snail. In six, months, more than 40,000 of these snails have been collected. Alert homeowners are the first line of defense in reporting signs of snail infestations. Please do your part in the fight against invasive species -- if you have a giant African snail or see the snails or signs of their presence, call the toll-free helpline at (888) 397-1517.

Key partners and contributors in Napa County, California, recently celebrated and recognized the critical safeguarding accomplishment achieved together, of eradicating the invasive European grapevine moth (EGVM) from the U.S. The keys to success were early detection, our rapid response, and a strong collaboration between federal, state and local officials, growers, university scientists and extension services. Such partnerships remain critical to our ability to safeguard agriculture and facilitate safe trade.

Whether called wild pigs, feral hogs, or wild boars, these opportunistic and invasive omnivores live in groups called sounders. Removing whole sounders is the most effective management method, but requires follow-up trapping and hunting due to their incredible reproductive potential.

Contains fact sheets and other resources for Mediterranean fruit fly, Mexican fruit fly, and Oriental fruit fly

See also: Poultry Health for more diseases

See also: Invasive Plant Species for more fact sheets

See also: Invasive Plant Species for more fact sheets.

See also: Fact Sheets for Invasive Exotic Plants for more fact sheets

See also: Invasive Plant Species for more fact sheets