January 9, 2013

Dominican Republic to resume beef exports

Initiated by its Ministry of Agriculture, the Dominican Republic will resume beef exports to international markets in the coming months through the Directorate General of Livestock.

To coordinate the work to be executed, the Agriculture Minister Luis Ramon Rodriguez, met with the Director General of Livestock, Bolivar Toribio and Animal Health Director, Rafael Nunez, and met the operational plan that will be applied to reopen exports of beef, chicken, pork and eggs to the US and other destinations like the Caribbean Islands.

On the programme, the director of Livestock farming authorities announced that epidemiological inspection will certify farms, abattoirs and farms to better implement the measures recommended by the authorities. Toribio said that health inspections carried out in the country during the last three years show a low incidence of disease so that there will be delay in the plans of the authorities.

The official said the Ministry of Agriculture is developing a health plan aimed at declaring the Dominican Republic free of diseases such as influenza and Newcastle in chickens. He also praised the work that has been done with the programme against classical swine fever (CSF) in pigs.

He explained that the legal basis of that statement will rest in a Government decree expressing the will of the Dominican government to lead the country in the coming months has opened the doors for the export of pork, chicken and beef.

Toribio said the country "has no case in recent years indicating that there is a problem of epidemic proportions. With regards to pigs, more than three years since we reported the presence of classical swine fever (CSF)."

For both cases, livestock director said samples will be analysed in local laboratories, validated by international laboratories to verify the absence of virus of the disease in animals. In the case of cattle, Toribio said the diseases present in the Dominican Republic are common in most continental countries, so it does not require an international notification.

He explained that to export beef only required to establish a traceability system that contains all information of the food, such as the source, slaughter date, name and location of the farm, among others.

Nunez, said the Dominican Republic is preparing to notify the Office International des Epizooties (OIE) and the countries with which it will market livestock products, the start of surveillance programmes, in order to show their privileged status in animal health and obtain certification of parts that have been declared free of disease to start meat exports to international markets. He said that the Dominican Republic complies with the protocol procedures required by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) for the marketing of livestock products.

The Ministry of Agriculture has announced an investment of DOP440 million (US$11 million) to strengthen animal and plant health through the Project Transition Support Competitive Agriculture (PATCA). Three projects to strengthen animal and plant health and institutional management will be developed over the next five years, in the amount of DOP440 million (US$11 million).