November 23, 2020

 

Spain now allowed to export raw pork to Peru

 

 

Spain is now able to export raw pork and/or refrigerated or frozen offal to Peru following the recognition of the equivalence of the Spanish inspection system for pork meat and offal.

 

The development came after the agreement for the establishment of a veterinary certificate - for the export of those products from Spain to Peru - was approved in 2018.

 

Among the health requirements that the products must meet is the stipulation that the products must be obtained from animals born and raised within the territory of the European Union.

 

Additionally, the country must be free of foot-and-mouth disease, rinderpest, African swine fever and swine vesicular disease. The country also must not have had any cases of encephalomyelitis due to enterovirus or Teschen disease, and animals must have tested negative for trichinellosis.

 

The products must also have been obtained in a slaughterhouse or primary processing establishment that has a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) System, be authorised for export by relevant Spanish authorities and be approved by Peru.

 

Once the veterinary certificate was approved, the next step was the qualification of establishments. Lastly, the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA) decided to request that Peru recognises the equivalence for pork and offal.

 

The recognition of equivalence would mean that Peru considers the sanitary measures implemented in Spain are sufficient for the sanitary protection of its territory and therefore it would not be necessary to grant approval to each individual facility.

 

The Peruvian authorities had sent a questionnaire that included extensive information about the structure of the official veterinary services, list of notifiable diseases, control of swine diseases, emergency plans, food safety control, authorisation of establishments, etc.

 

Once the information had been studied, the National Agricultural Health Service (SENASA) of Peru recognised, by letter, in November the equivalence of the system for the inspection of pork and offal in Spain.

 

Once this step was taken, SENASA - due to the difficulties in carrying out on-site inspection due to COVID-19 restrictions - temporarily enabled Spanish establishments interested in exporting until April 2021.

 

The list of establishments authorised for export by MAPA has already been sent. As such, exports can begin.

 

- MAPA-Boletín de Noticias del Exterior (Spain)