The Foreign Service Journal, April 2022

28 APRIL 2022 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL the Chilean Fruit Export Association (ASOEX). Numerous ambassadors, as well as other embassy staff, have visited APHIS overseas preclearance programs. By the 1990s, the advent of the World Trade Orga- nization’s Sanitary and Phytosanitary (WTO-SPS) agreement and the North American Free Trade Agree- ment presaged a shift in emphasis to agricultural diplomacy. The WTO-SPS, in particular, changed the global trade landscape. Gone were the days of elaborate bilateral agreements that were often based as much on politics as on technical merits. For the first time, signatory countries formally agreed that import restrictions and trade requirements “must be based on scien- tific findings and should be applied only to the extent that they are necessary to protect human, animal or plant life or health; they should not unjustifiably discriminate between countries where similar conditions exist.” This did not eliminate the role of politics. It did, however, drive the politics “underground,” making animal and plant health trade negotiations even more nuanced—and the role of the APHIS FSO in sorting out the layers of complexity even more important. APHIS FSOs became key figures in these new diplomatic arenas, delicately balancing the responsibility of facilitating trade while protecting American agriculture. Using influence and working with like-minded countries, APHIS leadership worked to ensure that the international system governing trade in ani- mals and animal products would be based on the best available science and valid risk assessment. When the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) became the animal health standard-setting organization for WTO-SPS, APHIS helped secure the election of a charismatic and vision- ary OIE leader. In addition, APHIS successfully advocated for the principle of regionalization, whereby pest- and disease-free zones and regions (instead of geopolitical borders) are recognized for pest and disease control. This allows trade to continue from those zones and regions even if disease is prevalent in a dif- ferent part of a country. This expanded trade opportunities for U.S. producers but also made import decisions more complicated. As the 21st century dawned, more trade continued to mean more risk that pest and disease outbreaks might spread to the United States. A vivid illustration was the major 2001 foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in the United Kingdom, which devastated farms and liveli- hoods and cost the public sector more than £3 billion and the private sector more than £5 billion. Working as field veterinarians with their United Kingdom counter- parts, APHIS FSOs diagnosed infected herds, supervised humane slaughter of infected animals, and contributed to the effort of directing U.K. farmers to government assistance programs and suicide hotlines—supporting efforts to ensure the disease was eradicated before it spread to the United States. In 2003, Progressive Farmer magazine— a century-old stalwart in the U.S. agricultural community—saluted APHIS employees, including its FSOs, citing “their vigilant efforts and dedication to protecting U.S. crops and livestock from pests, disease and now bioterrorism” and awarding the agency its prestigious “People of the Year.” It was the first time the publica- tion had given the award to an organization for its service to American agriculture. Animal diseases continued to engage APHIS FSOs. In December 2003, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), known colloquially as “mad cow disease,” was detected in the United States for the first time. Despite the fact that all cases detected in the country were either from imported cattle or were determined to be “atypical BSE cases,” and the United States was never categorized as a BSE-affected country, the “cow that stole Christmas” became a focus of national attention. APHIS FSOs worked day and night encouraging other countries Every so often, APHIS’ work is front page news. The foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in the United Kingdom in 2001 is one example. APHISVIENNA APHISVIENNA