This is the VOA Special EnglishAGRICULTURE REPORT.
Diseases, insects and animals all can threaten agriculture. Oftenthe threat of attack comes from foreign organisms. The United StatesDepartment of Agriculture has many ways to protect Americanagriculture. One such method is the Beagle Brigade.
The Beagle Brigade is a group of non-aggressive dogs and theirhuman partners. The dogs work with U-S-D-A inspectors and X-rayequipment to prevent the entry of banned agricultural products intothe United States. They search travelers’ belongings for bannedfruits, plants and meat that could carry harmful organisms.
All dogs have noses that are well built for smelling. Their nosesare designed to receive and trap smells.
The Animal and Plant HealthInspection Service chose beagles for use at airports for severalreasons. Beagles are intelligent and active dogs. They are loyal andobey orders. American officials have found that most beagles willremain calm in crowded, noisy areas. They also are gentle withpeople. And they have an excellent sense of smell.
Experts say beagles can identify smells so weak that even modernscientific technology could not measure them.Beagles also have anexcellent ability to identify differences among smells. The part ofa dog’s brain that receives messages from the nerves of the nose ishighly developed. This area can store information the way a computerdoes.
The Agriculture Department established its program with dogs inNineteen-Eighty-Four. At first, different kinds of dogs were used.Then officials worked with the armed forces in Texas to train BeagleBrigade teams. In Nineteen-Eighty-Seven, the Department opened threetraining centers and began training its own teams.
Now the Beagle Brigade has more than fifty teams at twenty-oneinternational airports. More teams are being added. Plans are beingmade to deploy teams along the American border with Mexico. Plansalso call for the use of dogs at some mail centers.
U-S-D-A officials also have provided help to agricultureofficials in other countries who want to start their own dogprograms. Officials in Australia, Canada, Guatemala, Mexico, NewZealand and South Korea have asked for help.
This VOA Special English AGRICULTURE REPORT was written by GeorgeGrow.