Brownsville CBP agriculture specialists intercept first in port pest at Brownsville Seaport

BROWNSVILLE, Texas — A team of two agriculture specialists with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations (OFO) at the Port of Brownsville, intercepted a “First in Port” pest on board of a motor vessel arriving from Vietnam to the Brownsville Seaport in Brownsville, Texas.    

“CBP agriculture specialists play a key role in preventing invasive pests from negatively affecting the agriculture of our country. I commend CBP agriculture specialists for the interception of this First in Port pest, Artaxa sp., that has the potential to defoliate hundreds of species of trees and shrubs,” said Port Director Tater Ortiz, Brownsville Port of Entry.

The interception occurred on September 18, at the Brownsville Seaport when a team of two agriculture specialists conducted an inspection on board of a vessel arriving from Vietnam.  The vessel had been selected by Brownsville agriculture specialists for further examination to check for possible pest risk.  Upon inspection of the vessel, agriculture specialists discovered and collected one suspect Flighted Spongy Moth Complex (FSMC) egg mass.  The suspect FSMC egg mass was submitted for identification to the to a U.S. Department of Agriculture entomologist.  On October 2, 2024, a national specialist identified the egg mass as Artaxa sp., (Erebidae), an actionable pest. Adult moths in the genus Artaxa are commonly referred to as tussock moths. Moths in the Erebidae family can cause a significant economic and environmental damage by forest defoliation.

The interception is an example of the diligent work CBP agriculture specialists do on a daily basis and which is crucial in preventing foreign pests from becoming established in the U.S. Pests that are not known to occur in the U.S. may be detrimental to the nation’s agriculture industry. CBP agriculture specialists continue to fulfill CBP’s agriculture mission by excluding harmful pests and diseases from becoming established in the U.S.

More information regarding CBP’s agriculture inspection mission may be found on the Protecting Agriculture page and in the CBP Agriculture Specialists Inspect Imported Flowers video.

Follow the Director of CBP’s Laredo Field Office on X at @DFOLaredo on Instagram at @dfolaredo and also U.S. Customs and Border Protection at @CBPSouthTexas for breaking news, current events, human interest stories and photos. 

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is America's frontline: the nation's largest law enforcement organization and the world's first unified border management agency. The 65,000+ men and women of CBP protect America on the ground, in the air, and on the seas. We facilitate safe, lawful travel and trade and ensure our country's economic prosperity. We enhance the nation's security through innovation, intelligence, collaboration, and trust.