U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists have stopped a straw crest moth from entering the country at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport, the first in the U.S. Detroit CBP said the interception happened in January after an agriculture detector dog alerted staff to luggage from Ghana. They inspected corn and seeds in the bag, which led to the discovery of the straw crest moth. “This first-in-the-nation interception demonstrates how thoroughly our agriculture specialists search items entering the U.S. to identify and stop potential pests,” said Fadia Pastilong, port director. “I’m proud of the work our agriculture specialists here do every day, which includes the interception of hundreds of pests each year that could threaten the U.S. agriculture industry.” The moth is from Europe and parts of Africa and is known to eat plants that are part of the rockrose family. In native areas, the CBP said they don’t cause major damage because of predators and plant resistance to help control it. But in a new area like the U.S., those controls don’t exist. The traveller, who was a citizen of Ghana, was informed of import requirements and released. “Declaring food and agricultural items isn’t just a formality — it’s our first line of defense against threats that can devastate our crops, compromise our food supply, and destabilize our economy,” said Marty C. Raybon, director of field operations.
