News & Events | Cross-Border Cooperation Builds Partnerships and Trust

Cross-Border Cooperation Builds Partnerships and Trust

While it cannot have a direct role in the political, policy making or regulatory processes of Mexico or any other country, USMEF plays a key role in ensuring the continuity of U.S. beef and pork exports there by building relationships with key staff in Mexican government agencies and keeping them informed about U.S. practices and procedures. In a recent example, USMEF successfully showed officers of the economy ministry and the commission in charge of measuring the regulatory impact of regulations (COFEMER) and representatives of the Mexican Retailers Association (ANTAD) the need for modification of the re-inspection regulation (NOM 30) and lifting of other nontechnical barriers to reflect a harmonized red meat import system of equivalent biological and chemical standards, testing/sampling protocols and import inspection procedures.

The team poses for a photo in front of a Mexican Point of Inspection and Verification for imported meat

USMEF-Mexico’s Dr. Nelson Huerta led a team of regulators, ANTAD lobbyists and academics from the Mexican Meat Science Association and Mexican universities to the United States earlier this month as part of this effort. Huerta’s aim was to inform the team about U.S. production systems, federal meat inspection systems, meat and livestock quality assurance programs and in-plant interventions that enhance the safety of U.S. red meat.

“Although Mexico’s economy ministry maintains a strong open-market position, particularly towards trade between NAFTA signatories,” said Huerta, “domestic livestock groups and sympathetic policymakers exert a powerful influence upon government agencies to shift to a more protectionist footing by, among other tactics, questioning the U.S. and Mexican inspection and verification systems. This visit by representatives of government and industry demonstrates their openness to see for themselves the facts behind the U.S. production systems and processes and food-safety controls.”

USMEF also brought the team members — especially those of the officers of the ministry and COFEMER — to the United States to improve their technical capacities and overcome any misperceptions they may have about U.S. meat exports and border verification processes. They saw for themselves the productive, technological processes, animal welfare practices and public health safeguards used in the U.S. to obtain high quality, sustainable, safe and nutritious red meat products.

The team visit also allowed USMEF to promote technical interaction between the U.S. and Mexican governments and industries by sharing scientific information on such important emerging issues as animal welfare and integrated systems of meat quality control from farm to table.

With this in mind, Huerta took the team on a tour of the Cargill plant in Plainview, Texas, where the visitors witnessed beef packing, processing and labeling for export to Mexico and saw firsthand HACCP and BSE control measures in action.

“The visit to the Cargill plant resulted in an enriching experience because we could corroborate the applicability of processes control and the quality assurance programs,” said one of the ANTAD representatives. “It was very interesting to know the certification and inspection schemes applied for trade and importation of meat products. The meetings with personnel of the USDA, AMI and Texas Tech University, plus the field visits, gave us a comprehensive vision about the observance of zoo-sanitary requirements and (animal health) surveillance. The visit to the inspection points and customs allowed us to identify clearly the process of inspection, certification and verification of the imported meat products.”

The team also examined a feedlot and the inspection, documentation and verification process at a border crossing.

“I liked the openness of USDA officials (FSIS, APHIS) to maintain a respectful and cordial dialogue,” said one ministry official. “I want to highlight the excellent coordination of USMEF to achieve the exchange of opinions among the parties without any restriction. The balance is extremely positive. It allowed us (government officials) to have a more precise idea about the U.S. regulations dealing with red meats as well the HACCP plans to guarantee the meat safety.”

The team visit achieved its goal of educating its target audience about U.S. beef production, safety and quality assurance systems. It allowed USMEF-Mexico to demonstrate the quality of U.S. meats products imported to Mexico and the mechanisms — sampling protocols, verification procedures — in place to assure safety and compliance with bilateral agreements and regulations.

Australian Pork Buyers Meet Sellers In Des Moines

USMEF-ASEAN Director Sabrina Yin led a team of nine pork importers and processors from Australia and New Zealand to the United States on Oct. 27 to meet with potential pork suppliers. The buyer tour began in Chicago and visited packing plants in the Midwest. It was organized to give team members an opportunity to study the U.S. pork processing industry and the production of high quality, safe U.S. pork for both processing materials and cooked items for the foodservice sector.

Rich Degner (right) talks with Australian pork importers Peter Thomas and Dion Nolan

Exporters and traders actively trading in Australia and New Zealand met the team at a “Meet the Buyers” lunch on October 30 in Des Moines, Iowa, co-hosted by the Iowa Pork Producers Association (IPPA). Rich Degner, IPPA executive director, and USMEF Assistant Vice President, Industry Relations John Hinners spoke briefly to the team and Dr Steve Meyer, on behalf of the Iowa Department of Economic, gave a presentation.