The Agricultural Commissioner, in cooperation with CDFA and USDA, works to enforce federal, foreign and domestic plant pest quarantines, as well as California state quarantines and county restrictions and ordinances. This program inspects incoming commodities that may be carrying pests we do not want in Merced County or in California.  Our goal is to prevent non-indigenous, harmful pests from becoming established so that we are more efficient in using our limited resources.  The program also promotes a healthy agricultural economy, as California's crops are kept free of exotic pests that may require us to impose restrictive quarantine measures.  This program facilitates the exportation of our unprocessed agriculture products to other states and countries.  Agricultural Biologists are trained and certified as USDA-APHIS Inspectors for issuing Federal Phytosanitary Certificates on commodities for export.  This program is our first line of defense against importation and exportation of economically important pests.