WASHINGTON —With Valentine’s Day upon us, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agriculture specialists have received more than 1 billion cut flower shipments since Jan. 1, for pests and diseases that could harm U.S. agricultural and floral industries.
“Increased shipments of flowers make this a very busy time for CBP, but our agriculture specialists are ready and able to meet this demand while safeguarding our nation against agricultural threats,” said Troy A. Miller, CBP Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Commissioner.
Last year, CBP officials inspected more than 352 million mixed bouquets, 76 million roses, and 75 million chrysanthemums. These numbers have increased in 2024. As of Feb. 13, agriculture specialists have cleared more than 1.1 billion cut flowers, intercepting 1,830 insects and pests, with 877 that could have potentially introduced diseases into the United States. The top three ports for flower imports are Miami, New York, and Otay Mesa, California.
While a relatively small number of harmful pests are found among the millions of stems inspected by CBP, a single dangerous pest could cause millions of dollars of damage to our nation’s crops.
CBP recommends consumers who wish to import or travel with flowers, plant materials, and other agricultural items visit the CBP website for more information, and click here for information on country of origin marking requirements for fresh cut flowers. Follow CBP on X, formerly known as Twitter, @CBP for breaking news, current events, human interest stories and photos.