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What do Agricultural Inspectors do?
Inspect agricultural commodities, processing equipment, and facilities, and fish and logging operations, to ensure compliance with regulations and laws governing health, quality, and safety.
What are the Main Tasks of Agricultural Inspectors?
- Inspect agricultural commodities or related operations, as well as fish or logging operations, for compliance with laws and regulations governing health, quality, and safety.
- Inspect or test horticultural products or livestock to detect harmful diseases, chemical residues, or infestations and to determine the quality of products or animals.
- Verify that transportation and handling procedures meet regulatory requirements.
- Collect samples from animals, plants, or products and route them to laboratories for microbiological assessment, ingredient verification, or other testing.
- Interpret and enforce government acts and regulations and explain required standards to agricultural workers.
- Write reports of findings and recommendations and advise farmers, growers, or processors of corrective action to be taken.
- Inspect the cleanliness and practices of establishment employees.
- Monitor the operations and sanitary conditions of slaughtering or meat processing plants.
- Inspect food products and processing procedures to determine whether products are safe to eat.
- Take emergency actions, such as closing production facilities, if product safety is compromised.
- Monitor the grading performed by company employees to verify conformance to standards.
- Label and seal graded products and issue official grading certificates.
- Inspect livestock to determine effectiveness of medication or feeding programs.
- Set standards for the production of meat or poultry products or for food ingredients, additives, or compounds used to prepare or package products.
- Direct or monitor the quarantine and treatment or destruction of plants or plant products.
- Inquire about pesticides or chemicals to which animals may have been exposed.
- Set labeling standards and approve labels for meat or poultry products.
- Examine, weigh, and measure commodities, such as poultry, eggs, meat, or seafood to certify qualities, grades, and weights.
- Compare product recipes with government-approved formulas or recipes to determine acceptability.
- Review and monitor foreign product inspection systems in countries of origin to ensure equivalence to the U.S. system.
- Provide consultative services in areas such as equipment or product evaluation, plant construction or layout, or food safety systems.
- Advise farmers or growers of development programs or new equipment or techniques to aid in quality production.
- Testify in legal proceedings.
