| Abstract: | Today, as managers of plant pest control programs seek more and more alternatives to chemical pesticides, the demand for biological control organisms in the USA has increased significantly in volume and variety. There is a corresponding increase in the numbers of permit requests for biological control agents from foreign sources. Environmentalists, Federal and State plant regulatory agencies in the USA are concerned over the long-term effects of these ‘beneficials’ on the target hosts, non-target organisms, codependency of flora and fauna, and on the general environment. Within the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of USDA, Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) protects US agriculture from the introduction and dispersal of harmful plant pests. It does this with the help of a network of Plant Quarantine Officers. PPQ strongly supports biological control strategies and the importation of more effective agents by accommodating the needs of agribusiness under appropriate safeguards. Although most biological control organisms are not plant pests, certain precautions are in order prior to release since shipments may contain unwanted pests, other contaminants and prohibited plant material. |
