The U.S. Senate has unanimously passed the Beagle Brigade Act, a bipartisan bill that would streamline funding for dogs trained to detect foreign pests and animal diseases on cargo. The bill now moves on to the U.S. House of Representatives.
Officially called the National Detector Dog Training Center Act (S.3678), the bill would explicitly authorize the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Detector Dog Training Center, outline the center’s duties and appropriations to support the center’s operations, and require a report to Congress on the center’s operations and recommendations to strengthen capacity to better protect domestic agriculture.
The Newnan, Georgia-based center is not explicitly authorized by Congress; instead, USDA relies on general plant and animal health protection authorities. Without authorization, funding for the center is inconsistent as it relies on USDA user fees. Congressional authorization would allow for federal appropriations directly to the center to ensure consistent funding for the training program.
The Beagle Brigade dogs and human handlers, employed by USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Customs and Border Protection (CBP), are trained at the center.
“Every day, USDA’s National Detector Dog Training Center in Newnan plays an essential role in keeping our food supply safe from contamination,” said Sen. Reverend Warnock, D-Georgia, a co-sponsor of the legislation. “This legislation permanently authorizes their work and will continue to strengthen our nation’s agriculture industry and the well-being of our communities.”
The Beagle Brigade detects and prevents entry of prohibited agricultural items into the country that may carry harmful pests, plants, or diseases, which could devastate Iowa farms, said Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, co-sponsor of the bill.
“We need all hands – and paws – on deck to keep our agriculture community safe from foreign animal diseases like avian influenza, foot-and-mouth disease, and African swine fever,” Ernst said. “The Beagle Brigade is essential to sniffing out items that may harbor these threats, stopping them in their tracks before they can endanger our farms and food supply. As this bipartisan legislation moves forward, we can better support another critical line of defense against harmful diseases, pests and plants, offering our farmers peace of mind as they work to protect their livestock and crops.”
The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) celebrated the Senate's passage of the bill.
“American agriculture relies on the National Detector Dog Training Center to prevent the introduction of foreign animal and plant diseases that would cripple our food supply,” said NPPC President Lori Stevermer. “For the pork industry, the Beagle Brigade is the first line of defense for keeping threats from foreign animal diseases, like African swine fever, out of the United States.”
