September 27, 2022

US trade negotiators urged to remove Kenya's restrictions on US pork imports

In comments submitted recently to the Office of the US Trade Representative, the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) urged US trade negotiators to use the recently launched Strategic and Investment Partnership with Kenya to eliminate that country's restrictions on US pork imports.

Kenya has the potential to be a significant export market for US pork products, NPPC noted in its comments. But the country has a 25% duty and non-tariff barriers, including complex, opaque and costly requirements that limit US pork imports.

The United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service reported that all imports of certain agricultural products, including meat, must be physically inspected and tested at the port of entry to ensure conformity with relevant Kenyan standards.

In the comments, NPPC pointed out there is no reason why Kenya should impose such onerous inspection and testing requirement on US pork products that are accompanied by the USDA Food Safety Inspection Service Certificate of Wholesomeness and meet other relevant import requirements.

NPPC has requested that Kenya eliminate its onerous testing and inspection requirements for US pork, eliminate non-science-based sanitary and phytosanitary barriers, and recognise the equivalence of US pork production practices and the US food safety inspection and approval system for pork slaughter, processing and storage plants.

- NPPC