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Flowers imported for Valentine’s Day inspected at Hartsfield-Jackson

Tosha Powell, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agricultural inspector, shakes flowers to check for pests during an inspection of flowers from Ecuador at U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Atlanta, Georgia on Monday, February 12, 2018. (REANN HUBER/REANN.HUBER@AJC.COM)
Tosha Powell, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agricultural inspector, shakes flowers to check for pests during an inspection of flowers from Ecuador at U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Atlanta, Georgia on Monday, February 12, 2018. (REANN HUBER/REANN.HUBER@AJC.COM)
By
Feb 12, 2018

As millions of flowers are shipped to the United States from South America, Central America and other locations leading up to Valentine's Day, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agricultural inspectors at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport are responsible for inspecting a sampling of the stems for insects and disease.

On Monday morning, inspectors handled a shipment from Ecuador, the second-largest country of origin for cut flowers into the United States behind Colombia.

"The No. 1 thing is to ensure no pests are coming into the United States that could affect our agricultural economy as well as our ecosystem," said U.S. Customs and Border Protection cargo operations watch commander Matthew Marcoccia.

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AJC Business reporter Kelly Yamanouchi keeps you updated on the latest news about Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Delta Air Lines and the airline industry in metro Atlanta and beyond. You'll find more on myAJC.com, including these stories:

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In other airport news:

Travelers at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport may hear a welcome message from Atlanta’s new mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms.

About the Author

As business team lead, Kelly Yamanouchi edits and writes business stories. She graduated from Harvard and has a master's degree from Northwestern.

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