The Ministry of Agriculture announces that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has cleared exports of raw and intact beef that has been slaughtered on or after 29 April 2022. The USDA lifts restrictions that have been in place for more than 15 years. A ban is still in place for export of cheek meat, head meat, heart meat and non-intact raw beef products.
The announcement comes after the US Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) received the review of the inspection of the meat industry to ensure quality, health, and safety control systems in slaughterhouses, processing plants, and cattle ranches that will be exporting. The Ministry of Agriculture urged meat producers to comply with the specifications and commitments in terms of quality, quantity, and frequency now that the ban is lifted.
“If the Dominican Republic wishes to certify other raw beef components or non-intact raw beef products as eligible, it will need to reapply for an equivalency review for those products,” the USDA release adds.
For FSIS-USDA, the document is signed by Michelle Catlin of the Executive Office of International Coordination, which is headed by Jaime Rafael Santoni Hernandez, chief of the Veterinary Services of the General Directorate of Medicines, Food and Health Products.
The decision was adopted after an audit conducted from 13 to 23 September 2021, which verified that the country’s inspection system for raw and intact beef products is safe.
FSIS provided information on new eligibility and import requirements, labeling, individual sanitary measures and tools.
The Dominican Republic is a major importer of meat products from the United States.
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El Caribe
3 May 2022