On Tuesday, the House Horticulture Subcommittee, chaired by Congressman Dennis Cardoza (D-CA), heard testimony from government officials and industry members regarding the management and operations of the Agriculture Quarantine Inspection (AQI) Program, which is overseen by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The AQI program is responsible for port and border inspections of pest and diseases on incoming shipments from abroad. Management of the program was transferred from the USDA to the DHS Custom and Border Protection in March 2003. During Tuesday's testimony, both the DHS and USDA Inspector Generals, along with government investigators, shared concerns about unmet performance measures by the DHS. Industry members Joel Nelsen, California Citrus Mutual, John McClung, Texas Produce Association, and Charles Bronson, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture, testified that transferring the program back to the USDA may be the only viable solution to ensuring foreign pest and disease exclusion remain a top priority. Statements from the hearing can be found here. A full investigative report by the House Agriculture Committee can be found here. Legislation that would convert the responsibility of this important inspection function back to the USDA has been introduced in the House and Senate. For more information, contact Robert Guenther, senior vice president of public policy, 202-303-3409.