U.S./Mexican Facilities Approved for Meat Export

U.S./Mexican Facilities Approved for Meat Export

The United States and Mexico have reached agreement on protocols for approving a significant number of meat processing and storage facilities for export.

The U.S. Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) and Mexico’s SAGARPA have been in ongoing discussion over the past 18 months to resolve issues related to approval of facilities for export.   Those discussions involved 109 U.S. meat industry facilities, of which 52 have now been approved for export and another 57 facilities are expected to be approved in the coming week.  For SAGARPA’s list of approved facilities, click here: http://web2.senasica.gob.mx:8081/PlantaB/

From the Mexican side, 13 facilities have been approved, although four of those approvals are pending corrective action.  This will bring the total of Mexican meat facilities exporting to the United States to more than 30.

This action comes on the heels of approval by SAGARPA of administrative changes at 32 U.S. facilities.  These administrative changes, which might involve plant name changes or other paperwork issues, had the potential to create export delays at the border.

“Consistent with the long history of cooperation between the United States and Mexico, both governments are taking important steps to facilitate the two-way trade in recent decisions to approve plants on both sides of the border for export of meat products,” said Chad Russell, USMEF regional director for Mexico and the Dominican Republic.  “This agreement helps put meat exports back on track, and is very much in keeping with the long history of mutually beneficial trade our two nations have enjoyed since the implementation of NAFTA.”

U.S./Mexican Facilities Approved for Meat Export

The United States and Mexico have reached agreement on protocols for approving a significant number of meat processing and storage facilities for export.

The U.S. Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) and Mexico’s SAGARPA have been in ongoing discussion over the past 18 months to resolve issues related to approval of facilities for export.   Those discussions involved 109 U.S. meat industry facilities, of which 52 have now been approved for export and another 57 facilities are expected to be approved in the coming week.  For SAGARPA’s list of approved facilities, click here: http://web2.senasica.gob.mx:8081/PlantaB/

From the Mexican side, 13 facilities have been approved, although four of those approvals are pending corrective action.  This will bring the total of Mexican meat facilities exporting to the United States to more than 30.

This action comes on the heels of approval by SAGARPA of administrative changes at 32 U.S. facilities.  These administrative changes, which might involve plant name changes or other paperwork issues, had the potential to create export delays at the border.

“Consistent with the long history of cooperation between the United States and Mexico, both governments are taking important steps to facilitate the two-way trade in recent decisions to approve plants on both sides of the border for export of meat products,” said Chad Russell, USMEF regional director for Mexico and the Dominican Republic.  “This agreement helps put meat exports back on track, and is very much in keeping with the long history of mutually beneficial trade our two nations have enjoyed since the implementation of NAFTA.”