This Month in Plant Protection Today - PPQ’s Recent Successes in Reducing Methyl Bromide Use, PPQ and Washington State Partners Get Ready for Another Hunting Season

Finding Alternatives to an Ozone-Depleting Chemical, Tracking Northern Giant Hornet is An Adventure Like No Other [] [USDA logo] United States Department of Agriculture July 2023 Plant Protection Today [reducing methyl bromide]( APHIS' Recent Successes in Reducing Methyl Bromide Use Finding alternatives to the fumigant methyl bromide is an acute need for USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). Methyl bromide effectively treats commodities against a wide range of plant pests and diseases, and U.S. importers and exporters often rely on its use to conduct safe trade. However, it is also an ozone-depleting chemical, and an international treaty called The Montreal Protocol—which the United States signed in 1987—aims to phase out the production and use of methyl bromide and almost 100 other chemicals. The good news for industry and our planet’s ozone layer is that APHIS has made some recent—and significant—successes in finding alternatives. [Read more.]( [Stacy and ODA employee]( PPQ and Washington State Partners Get Ready for Another Hunting Season This is the final article in a 3-part Plant Protection Today series about the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Plant Protection and Quarantine program and the Washington State Department of Agriculture, and their response to the northern giant hornet. Most days you can find the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Plant Protection and Quarantine's (PPQ's) Plant Health Safeguarding Specialist Stacy Herron at the U.S.-Canada land border crossing in Blaine, WA, conducting routine agriculture quarantine inspection duties. Other days, Herron is nowhere to be found because he’s hunting with his colleagues from the Washington State Department of Agriculture. Not for deer, elk, or black bear. They’re hunting the largest hornet in the world—the northern giant hornet. [Read more](. Check Out These Other Stories - [PPQ Invests in Technology to Keep Hornet-Hunting Employees Safe]( - [PPQ Travels to the Land of Giants]( - [Lacey Act Phase VII Is Coming]( - [The Smithsonian Institution's Vast Insect Collection Is a Priceless Resource for USDA Pest Identifiers]( - [International Standards Reduce Pest Risk in Wood Packaging Materials]( - [PPQ's Karnal Bunt Program Draws Closer to Disease-Free Status]( About Plant Protection Today Every day, USDA's Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) employees collaborate with many partners, cooperators, and stakeholders to protect plant health. To stay on the leading edge, PPQ explores scientific frontiers, develops new plant protection methods, and makes critical advancements. These efforts safeguard our nation’s agricultural and natural resources while facilitating the safe global trade of agricultural products. Plant Protection Today highlights some of PPQ's most successful and impactful programs and activities. Please send your feedback and comments to: PPQ.Plant.Protection.Today@usda.gov --------------------------------------------------------------- [Bookmark and Share]( Questions about APHIS programs and services? [Contact Us]( STAY CONNECTED: [USDA blog]( [APHIS Facebook]( [APHIS Twitter]( [APHIS YouTube]( [Sign up for email updates]( [APHIS Flickr]( SUBSCRIBER SERVICES: [Manage Preferences]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [Help]( --------------------------------------------------------------- This email was sent to {EMAIL} using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service · 4700 River Rd · Riverdale, MD 20737 [GovDelivery logo](