WASHINGTON- Before the Thanksgiving holiday, the US Senate unanimously passed the Beagle Brigade Act or S.759.   

The legislation, which now moves to the House of Representatives, would provide authority and funding for the National Detector Dog Training Center.

The Beagle Brigade is trained to detect fruits, vegetables and meats that could be a threat to US agriculture. The Beagle Brigade is sent to US ports of entry, such as airports, land border crossings, and mail and cargo facilities.

The National Pork Producers Council approved the Senate’s decision to move this bill forward.

“American agriculture relies on the National Detector Dog Training Center to prevent the introduction of foreign animal and plant diseases that would cripple our food supply,” said Lori Stevermer, NPPC president and pork producer. “For the pork industry, the ‘Beagle Brigade’ is the first line of defense for keeping threats from foreign animal diseases, like African swine fever, out of the United States. America’s pork producers greatly appreciate Senator Ernst and our Senate champions and urge the House to take this up before the end of the year.”

MEAT+POULTRY profiled the Beagle Brigade in 2019 and what it was doing to stay on alert for African Swine Fever (ASF) and other diseases.