The United States and the government of Argentina have reached agreement on a protocol for entry of U.S. pork products to the Argentinian market.
U.S. companies (slaughterers, fabricators, and/or processors of pork and pork products) must be approved under USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service’s (AMS) Pork Export Verification (EV) Program or the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) PQA Plus Source Verification 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 Pork EV Program, AMS verifies that eligible suppliers participate in the National Pork Board’s Pork Quality Assurance (PQA) Plus Program and that products meet the specified product requirements, through 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 PQA Plus Pork EV Program will be updated to reflect those companies eligible for pork exports to Argentina. Additional information about this EV Program, including commonly asked questions, and how to apply for AMS Audit Services, is available on the AMS website at Porcine 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 Ag Marketing Specialist Steve Ross at Steve.Ross@ams.usda.gov
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