Economics of Agricultural and Wildlife Smuggling

Download or read book Economics of Agricultural and Wildlife Smuggling written by Peyton Ferrier and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 2010 with total page 35 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The U.S. bans imports of certain agricultural (ag) and wildlife goods that can carry pathogens or diseases or whose harvest can threaten wildlife stocks or endanger species. Despite these bans, contraband is regularly uncovered in inspections of cargo containers and in domestic markets. This study characterizes the economic factors affecting ag and wildlife smuggling by drawing on inspection and interdiction data from the U.S. Dept. of Ag. and the Fish and Wildlife Service and existing economic literature. Ag and wildlife smuggling includes luxury goods, ethnic foods, and specialty goods, such as traditional medicines. Incidents of detected smuggling are disproportionately higher for ag goods originating in China and for wildlife goods originating in Mexico.