The Department of Livestock of the Ministry of Agriculture told a group of 22 importers that meat imports are now prohibited. The measure affects restaurants and hotel operations that use the imported beef. Restaurants such as McDonalds, Burger King and Wendy’s, as well as steak houses, serve imported meat. While meat imports have not been prohibited in the past, they have been subject to import permits from the Ministry of Agriculture. The director of the Department of Livestock, Marcelino Vargas told importers that they would have to ship back the containers that were in Customs. The importers say that the ban violates World Trade Organization agreements signed by the Dominican Republic.
