U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced that the government of Japan has finalized technical requirements that will allow U.S. sheep and goat exports into the country for the first time in more than 14 years.
U.S. companies (slaughterers, fabricators, and/or processors of sheep and goat products) must be approved under USDA Agricultural Marketing Services (AMS) Export Verification (EV) Program. Eligible products must meet the specified requirements listed in the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) Export Library. Only eligible products may be issued an FSIS export certificate.
Through the EV Program, USDA verifies that products meet the specified requirements of an approved USDA Quality System Assessment or USDA Process Verified Program. These programs ensure that a company's processes are supported by a documented quality management system and are verified through independent, third-party audits.
The Official Listing for the EV Program will be updated to reflect those companies eligible for sheep and goat exports to Japan. Additional information about this EV Program and how to apply for AMS Audit Services is available on the AMS website Bovine, Ovine & Caprine Export Verification Programs page.
For more information contact the AMS Livestock and Poultry Program, Quality Assessment Division (QAD) at QAD.Auditservice@ams.usda.gov, or AMS Senior Agricultural Marketing Specialist Steve Ross at Steve.Ross@ams.usda.gov.