August 7, 2012

US, Indonesia agree arrangements on dairy imports

The US and Indonesia have agreed to a process for easing import permits issuance to Indonesian importers which import US dairy products as a follow up to US food safety system audits for dairy products conducted by Indonesian regulators.

On June 4, 2009 the Government of Indonesia (GOI) issued Law 18/2009 on Animal Health which requires plant-by-plant audits for any country wishing to export dairy products to Indonesia. In response, the USDA proposed to conduct an audit of the food safety system for dairy instead of plant-by-plant inspections. Subsequently, Indonesian auditors visited the US during September 19-23, 2011 and audited the US food safety system for dairy products.

Based on the results of audits, Indonesian and US officials agreed to an arrangement on the process for ensuring Indonesian importers of US dairy products can acquire the necessary import recommendation from the Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture (MOA).