The agency of the federal government charged with regulating agricultural (plants and animals). As our national agricultural agency, the USDA must oversee the export and import of agriculture products, and issue animal health certificates, plant phytosanitary inspection certificates, and sanitary inspection certificates on products within its jurisdiction, as required by foreign governments for products exported from the U.S. This is done, respectively, through the USDA veterinary service (VS) (for live animals), the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) (for non-food animal products, plants, and plant products), and the USDA Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) (for meat and dairy products). Comprehensive and current information on destination country documentation requirements for agricultural products is maintained on the USDA sponsored EXCERPT system.
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