> APHIS lacks the resources, and sometimes the authority, to adequately prevent the importation of alien pests. Policy changes to facilitate trade and customer service have put pressure on APHIS to conduct inspections more rapidly to speed the flow of passengers and trade. According to APHIS’ own estimates, it was able to inspect only about 2% of all cargo entering the US in. Yet, among that 2% of cargo, or 1.8 million products, that agents inspected, they found 52,000 pests of concern.

> Currently, regulatory and legislative action generally focuses on increasing trade while secondarily dealing with invasives and their impacts. States need to shift this approach to screening for invasives while allowing trade. Given the significant costs associated with the spread and eradication of invasives, addressing invasive alien species issues should be embraced as a prerequisite – not just an afterthought – to increased trade. Experts concur that preventing introduction and establishment of invasive species is much less costly and more effective than eradication efforts.

from "Invasive Species, Agriculture and Trade: Case Studies from the NAFTA Context" 
Presented at the Second North American Symposium on Assessing the Environmental Effects of Trade
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