DOGE’s Cuts at the USDA Could Cause US Grocery Prices to Rise and Invasive Species to Spread
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Summary
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) made 6,000 workers redundant in February, representing around a fifth of its total workforce.
The employees included those at its National Dog Detection Training Centre, which trains dogs to detect invasive plants or animal-borne diseases.
Crucially, this centre is the only facility in the US that trains dogs to detect the Giant African land snail, an invasive mollusc that is a threat to Florida’s agriculture industry.
The redundancies come amid similar cuts to plant and food inspectors, who check imports for diseases and invasive species, at ports across the country.
Supply chain experts have warned of serious consequences, including rotten food waiting to be inspected at ports and further disruption to grocery supply chains, which are already under pressure amid outbreaks of bird flu and new tariffs.
