December 4, 2008
US, Mexico reach meat export agreement
The US and Mexico have reached an agreement on meat exports after 18 long months of negotiations.
In the discussions, 52 US meat facilities were approved for export, with another 57 facilities expected to be approved in the coming week.
This comes after 32 US facilities made administrative changes that include plant name changes and paperwork issues, which could create export delays at the border.
For Mexico, 13 facilities were approved to export meat to the US, although four of those approvals are pending corrective action. This will bring the total number of approved Mexican meat plants to more than 30.
The USDA hopes to schedule additional technical meetings to address cross-border issues, re-listing of plants and other technical issues.
