January 10, 2003

Mexico's Secretariat of Agriculture (SAGARPA) has decided that shipments of fresh and frozen poultry imported for further processing must be accompanied by a certified veterinarian from the border crossing point to an approved meat processing plant. All costs associated with the veterinarian's services will be borne by the importer. A USDA report on the decision said it is not yet clear why this new requirement is being imposed.

Mexico also has announced new import requirements relating to Newcastle disease. In a letter to USDA's Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service (APHIS) the government indicated that imports of live poultry, poultry products, and poultry byproducts from California will be prohibited until APHIS provides information measures USDA is taking to control the poultry disease in California.

The government now will require a statement concerning Newcastle disease on U.S. health certificates until Feb. 20: "The entire consignment of meat comes from birds which have been kept in an establishment free from Newcastle disease and not situated in a Newcastle disease infected zone and which have been slaughtered in an approved abattoir not situated in a Newcastle disease infected zone and have been subjected to antemortem and postmortem inspections for Newcastle disease with favorable results."

In addition to these import requirements, imports of cooked poultry meat now are subject to a listeria testing requirement, and imports of fresh poultry for direct consumption are subject to the "hemagglutination inhibition test" if shipped beyond the 20 km border zone of Cancun. Imports of uncooked poultry from Texas, California, Maine, Virginia, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and West Virginia continue to be banned because of the detection of avian influenza last year.