U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) on March 9 introduced a bipartisan bill that would establish a National Detector Dog Training Center where beagles and other dogs would be trained to safeguard domestic agricultural and natural resources from foreign and invasive pests and diseases.
“Iowa farmers know that viruses like avian influenza and African Swine Fever have the power to devastate our agriculture industry,” Sen. Ernst said. “We must do everything in our power to keep these diseases out of our farms and fields.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) center authorized under the Beagle Brigade Act of 2023, S. 759, which Sen. Ernst cosponsored alongside bill sponsor U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA), also would train human handlers to successfully select and train dogs to inspect luggage, vehicles, cargo, and other packages entering the United States for prohibited agricultural items that could carry foreign pests or viruses into the country.
“The Beagle Brigade is a major tool we use to sniff out these harmful diseases before they even enter our country, and this bipartisan bill will help ensure they can continue doing this important work,” said Sen. Ernst.
Additionally, S. 759 would require the center to collaborate with relevant federal agencies, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection, to safeguard domestic agricultural and natural resources, as well as with external stakeholders, including state departments of agriculture, local and county agricultural officials, private sector entities, and other relevant non-federal partners, according to the text of the bill.
Sen. Warnock said the bill would make funding permanent for the USDA center. “As a dog lover and proud member of the Senate Agriculture committee, I am glad to be a leader in the effort to permanently authorize the center and provide a dedicated source of funding for its vital work,” he said. “I’m going to keep pushing to get this done.”