Bringing Food, Plants, and Animals into the USA
» Declarations Prevent Fines
Guide Sections ...   • Introduction   • One Piece Can Spell Danger   • Declarations & Fines   • Fruits, Veggies, & Plants   • Meat & Animal Products   • Live Animals and Birds   • Other Bio Materials   • Soil, Sand, Shells ...   • What You Can Bring Back Approved Items:     • General List     • From Canada     • From Mexico     • From Hawaii     • From Puerto Rico     • From Virgin Islands   • Appendix 1 - Information Contacts The declaration you're required to make may be oral, written, or both. If you're traveling from abroad on a plane or ship, you will be given a Customs form on which to declare your agricultural products. You will also be asked to indicate whether you have visited a farm or ranch outside the United States. Officers of the Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) program of USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) inspect passenger baggage for agricultural products. At some ports, inspectors use dogs from USDA's Beagle Brigade to sniff out hidden items. At other ports, officials use low-energy x-ray machines adapted to reveal fruits and meats. Smugglers get caught. In an average month, inspectors find more than 3,000 violations. A traveler who fails to declare a prohibited item is fined on the spot (up to $250), and the item is confiscated and safely destroyed in a grinder or incinerator.