NCBA - National Cooperative Business Association

05/10/2022 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 05/10/2022 15:51

USDA certifies Dominican Republic will be eligible to export beef products, comes after years of work by USDA-funded Safe Agriculture Food Export (SAFE) project led by NCBA CLUSA

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported that it has completed its review of the Dominican Republic's documented inspection system for raw and intact beef products. Thanks to the bilateral cooperation from USDA's Food for Progress Program (FFPr) funded Safe Agriculture Food Export (SAFE) ProGana project in the Dominican Republic, led by NCBA CLUSA, the Dominican Republic has reinstated USDA Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) equivalence certification for the export for beef products to the U.S. market of Puerto Rico.

Since October 2015, NCBA CLUSA through the SAFE project and one of its consortium partners, the University of Texas A&M's Borlaug Institute, has provided technical and financial assistance to the stakeholders participating in the Dominican Republic's Beef food safety inspection system to make the necessary investments to comply with FSIS and the U.S. Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) food safety standards and regulations. These investments were verified by FSIS during the in-country audit September 13-23, 2021 and certified as equivalent on April 29, 2021. This important achievement recognizes the hard work and investments made by the Dominican Republic, it's food safety inspection system, meat processing facilities, and the thousands of cattle ranchers, which are expected to create a positive feedback loop that will continue strengthening the Dominican cattle industry for years to come.

SAFE started by initially conducting an analysis of previous USDA/FSIS evaluations of the country's Beef Inspection System (BIS) and of the overall beef and dairy value chains. In 2017, SAFE joined the "Equivalence Round Table" led by the Dominican Association for Landowners and Farmers (ADHA). This round table was composed of interested stakeholders from within the public and private sectors, including beef producers, the Dominican Association of Processing Plants (ADM), the three largest processing plants (Mercarne, Agrocarne, and Suplidora A&B), and other relevant agencies. The project facilitated the development and improvement of 11 policy/regulations/procedures for the equivalence process stakeholders and helped develop the political support for a risk-based system.

SAFE also engaged producer groups such as ASOCARNE (Asociación Nacional de Productores de Ganado de Carne) and local slaughterhouse suppliers. The project conducted comprehensive trainings to all components of the Beef Inspection System (BIS), including FSIS requirements, the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), risk management, animal welfare, Hazards Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), Best Manufacturing Practices (BMP), SPS, Sanitation Standard Operational Procedures (SSOP), Sanitary Dressing Procedures (SDP), and many other food safety and sanitation topics.

Through letters sent to the General Director of Medicine, Food and Sanitary Products (Digemaps) of the Ministry of Public Health (MSP) and Dr. Jaime Rafael Santoni Hernández, manager of the meat unit, that the review of the Self-Report Tool (SRT) of the Dominican Republic, responses and documentation, as well as an in-country audit conducted September 13-23, 2021, support that the Dominican Republic's intact raw beef product inspection system is equivalent.

Dr. Santoni Hernández expressed, "We are grateful to the PROGANA project for its continuous support in the process of reinstating (FSIS) equivalence for raw beef exports to the US. PROGANA's support included, among other aspects: technical assistance for continuous training regarding USDA Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) regulatory requirements and its compliance, support to the official teams and establishments through pre-audits for compliance with FSIS requirements and technical support to strengthen capacities to structure audit staff for laboratory evaluations authorized by the Central Competent Authority (CCA). PROGANA has been a very important pillar for the Dominican Meat Inspection System, in order to obtain this long-awaited goal."

PROGANA has been a very important pillar for the Dominican Meat Inspection System, in order to obtain this long-awaited goal.

Michelle Catlin, a USDA executive stated that FSIS is providing additional information on the country's new eligibility and the next steps in relation to it are import requirements, labeling requirements, individual health measures, and the Self-Report Tool (SRT).

"The Dominican Republic will be eligible to export raw, intact beef products derived from cattle slaughtered on or after April 29, 2022, to the United States. In order to facilitate the acceptance of raw intact beef products exported from the Dominican Republic at the point of entry of the United States".

They specify that the Dominican Republic may only export products from certified establishments on this list. In addition, Title 9 of the Code of Federal Regulations (9 CFR) requires that each shipment of meat (beef) products imported into the United States have a foreign inspection certificate issued by a Digemaps/Department of Food official.

"The foreign inspection certificate must accompany each shipment; be presented to import inspection personnel at the official FSIS import inspection establishment; be written in English; and bear the official seal of the government of the Dominican Republic responsible for the inspection of meat (beef) products, as well as the name, position and signature of the official authorized to issue inspection certificates," reads the letter.

Likewise, it clarifies that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the USDA determines the eligibility of animal products to enter the United States based on the sanitary situation of the exporting countries.

For specific information on APHIS import requirements applicable to the Dominican Republic, contact USDA-APHIS: [email protected]