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Plant Industry - Plant Protection

Atlanta Office
Mike Evans,
Director

Alan Lowman,
Agriculture Manager,
Live Plant Health Inspections

Atlanta Mailing Address:
Georgia Department of Agriculture
Plant Protection Division
19 M.L.K. Jr. Drive, SW, Room 243
Atlanta, GA 30334
Tele: (404) 651-9486
Fax: (404) 656-3644

Tifton Office
Barry Smith,
Agriculture Manager,
Apiary and Vegetable Inspections

Tifton Mailing Address:
Georgia Department of Agriculture
Plant Protection Division
2321 Rainwater Rd.
Tifton, GA 31794
Tele: (229) 386-3464
Fax: (229) 386-7052

The Purpose of the Plant Protection Division is to promote the highest quality and integrity of plants and plant products produced by the Georgia Green Industry while ensuring consumer protection.  In addition, we facilitate and encourage the export of numerous Georgia Grown™ plant commodities to many states and nations around the world through our regular inspections and phytosanitary certification programs.  We promote sustainable agricultural practices and environmental conservation through integrated pest management (IPM) initiatives and public education. And finally, our goal is to protect Georgia's agriculture and natural resources from introduction, establishment, and spread of plant pests and noxious weeds through detection and management programs.

The Plant Protection Division office, which includes field inspectors and supervisors, enforces the statutes of the Georgia Entomology Act of 1937, Plant Protection Regulations, the Beekeeping Regulations, and the Boll Weevil Eradication Regulations.  The Plant Protection Division has also recently adopted rules concerning the regulation of Tropical Soda Apple, a new noxious weed in Georgia.

Plant Protection Division Brochure

Overview of Programs:

Live Plant Licensing Program
Export Certification Program
Imported Fire Ant Quarantine Compliance Program
Apiary (Honeybee) Inspections
Japanese Beetle Compliance Program
Boll Weevil Eradication Program

Useful Resources:

Horticulture FAQ's
Apiary FAQ's
Bee and Wasp Swarm Control
UGA Extension Publications
USDA/APHIS - Plant Protection
Georgia Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey
Rules & Regulations of the State of Georgia
Climate and Historical Weather Data
Sources of Information for Environmental Horticulture Professionals

Georgia Green Industry Organizations: 

Georgia Green Industry Association
Southern Nursery Association
Georgia Turfgrass Association
Georgia Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association
Georgia Crop Improvement Association

Current Information on Colony Collapse Disorder of Honey Bees:

University of Florida
Mid-Atlantic Apiary Research and Extension Consortium
Bee Alert Technology, Inc.