The USDA will hold up shipments that might affect the agriculture of the United States. We deal with Agriculture on a daily basis both here in NJ and at the JFK International Airport. For certain commodities, we will set up an appointment with Agriculture and have your goods inspected. Fresh fruits and vegetables require an inspection at the port of arrival. This can lead to delays in delivery and we prioritize it accordingly.

When manifesting cargo it is important to describe the goods in detail so Agriculture will not hold up your non AQI related goods. Any forwarder that puts “Consol” on a manifest will ensure that AQI holds up their freight. This will lead to delays in clearing cargo that would automatically be released otherwise.

For urgent shipments appointments can be made after hours for AQI to inspect. You will have to pay overtime. These charges are usually guaranteed by the broker and billed later to the customer.

For more information concerning the Department of Agriculture visit their website at www.usda.gov Another useful page is located here.