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Customs and Border Protection (CBP) may not come to mind when you think of Mother’s Day, but CBP employees are hard at work to make sure the occasion isn’t ruined by scammers and harmful pests.
NTEU-represented Agriculture Specialists inspect imported shipments of cut flowers before they reach mom’s dining room table. That’s because certain flowers and plants found in many floral arrangements can carry pests and diseases that could cause millions in damage to our nation’s crops.
Mother’s Day is the busiest time of year for CBP Agriculture Specialists, followed by Valentine’s Day and the Easter holiday. Since April, they’ve inspected more than 287,000 shipments intercepting 857 pests – just in time for you to shop safely.
Inspecting flowers isn’t the only way CBP helps American consumers for Mother’s Day. NTEU-represented CBP Import Specialists protect the U.S. economy from illicit manufacturers. In other words, they make sure mom’s designer handbag is the real deal.
Last month, CBP Import Specialists helped intercept two large shipments of counterfeit goods including bracelets, sandals, handbags and sunglasses that would have been worth tens of thousands of dollars had they been genuine. In fiscal 2021, they seized more than 2,000 shipments, savings consumers from being scammed out of $146,000,000 of counterfeit goods and protecting copyright law.
NTEU is proud to represent employees at CBP who work year-round to keep our country safe and our products legit.