Senators Reverend Warnock, Ernst Introduce Legislation to Protect U.S. Agriculture from Pests, Make Permanent Newnan’s Beagle Brigade Training Center

Senators Reverend Warnock and Ernst, dogs lovers and members of the United States Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, introduced the Beagle Brigade Act

The legislation will make permanent the USDA training center for the Newnan-based Beagle Brigade, which trains dogs to detect foreign pests and diseases that threaten the domestic agriculture industry

Senator Reverend Warnock: “As a dog-lover and proud member of the Senate Agriculture committee, I am glad to be a leader in the effort to permanently authorize the center. I’m going to keep pushing to get this done”

Senator Joni Ernst: “The Beagle Brigade is a major tool we use to sniff out these harmful diseases before they even enter our country, and this bipartisan bill will help ensure they can continue doing this important work”

Senator Reverend Warnock visited the USDA’s National Detector Dog Training Center last spring

Washington D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) and Joni Ernst (R-IA) reintroduced legislation to formally authorize the United State Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Detector Dog Training Center in Newnan, Georgia. The center trains the Beagle Brigade, dogs trained by the USDA to detect foreign pests and diseases that threaten the domestic agriculture industry. While the training center has operated in Newnan for years, the center itself is not explicitly authorized by Congress. Instead, USDA relies on general plant and animal health protection authorities. Without authorization, funding for the center is inconsistent as it relies on USDA user fees.

“Every day, USDA’s National Detector Dog Training Center in Newnan, Georgia plays an essential role in keeping our food supply safe,” said Senator Reverend Warnock.“Last spring, I introduced this legislation with Senator Ernst after I visited these hardworking dogs and their trainers. I saw firsthand how they work tirelessly to protect our agriculture industry from potentially contaminated fruit, vegetables, and meat. As a dog-lover and proud member of the Senate Agriculture committee, I am glad to be a leader in the effort to permanently authorize the center. I’m going to keep pushing to get this done.”

“Iowa farmers know that viruses like avian influenza and African Swine Fever have the power to devastate our agriculture industry, so we must do everything in our power to keep these diseases out of our farms and fields,” said Senator Ernst. “The Beagle Brigade is a major tool we use to sniff out these harmful diseases before they even enter our country, and this bipartisan bill will help ensure they can continue doing this important work.”

Last year, Senator Warnock traveled to Newnan to visit the USDA’s National Detector Dog Training Center. Senator Warnock was thrilled to visit the training center to see these hardworking trainers and dogs in action, learn about the daily operations of the training center, reaffirm his commitment to making the center permanent, and give a few well-deserved head scratches.

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Title and affiliation are provided for identification purposes only. A pastor and social justice advocate, Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock was elected to the United States Senate in 2021 and reelected for a full term in 2022. The Senator serves on the Senate Agriculture, Banking, and Commerce committees, as well as the Senate Aging Committee.