March 12, 2019
Officials at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have announced that the agency will allocate $7.2 million to Florida this year as part of an initiative to strengthen the nation’s infrastructure for agricultural pest detection and surveillance, identification and threat mitigation.
The initiative targets $66 million to support projects in 49 states, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands.
“Florida is a critical partner in protecting U.S. agriculture,” said USDA Under Secretary Greg Ibach. “With this funding, Florida will be able to better protect its own resources and, in doing so, contribute to USDA’s mission of keeping our nation’s agriculture economy healthy and strong.”
Protecting Florida’s agricultural sectors against the introduction of threats to plant and animal production is an extremely valuable, but difficult job. State officials have reported that a non-native, invasive species arrive at a Florida air terminal or seaport every month.
For a detailed list of operations funded by the initiative, visit https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDAAPHIS/bulletins/234df8d.