There are government agencies, known as Partner Government Agencies (PGA) and Other Government Agencies (OGA), which regulate commodities imported into America—knowing how they work will help improve your Customs compliance.
The term PGA is used to describe the Federal Agencies that regulate specific commodities imported into the U.S. in conjunction with Customs. Before the designation PGA was established, the term OGA was used to describe these regulatory agencies of the government that assist Customs in evaluating imported goods. The key difference between PGAs and OGAs is that the term OGA is outdated and is being replaced by PGA, moving forward.
PGAs and OGAs to Know
The following lists the nine major departments relative to importing/exporting and the current PGAs contained in them.
- U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
- Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)
- Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS)
- Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) includes: Animal Care, Vet Services, Biotech’s Regulatory Services, Lacey Act, Plant Protection & Quarantine(PPQ)
- U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC)
- Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS)
- United States Census Bureau (USCB)
- Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA)
- National Marine Fisheries Services (NMFS) includes: Highly Migratory Species and Antarctic Marine Living Resource
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
- Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
- Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- U.S. Department of Interior (DOI)
- Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS)
- U.S. Department of Treasury (DoT)
- Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB)
- U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NGTSA)
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
- Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
There is an interagency council, called the Border Interagency Executive Council (BIEC), which helps federal agencies coordinate with Customs. Since 2014 the BIEC has improved efficiency, supply chain processes, and the identification of illicit and non-complaint shipments.
It is expected that more PGAs will be added as Customs continues to expand its ACE environment and brings in other agencies. For an updated list of PGAs and OGAs, click here.
