Q COSTA RICA NEWS – This week’s report from the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) discusses the challenges that have made it difficult to ship chilled beef and pork to Costa Rica, a market of strong interest for U.S. meat exporters.
The report said Costa Rica recently removed the requirement that shipments of fresh beef and pork from the United States must arrive no more than nine days from the packing date.
No changes have been made to Costa Rica’s requirements for frozen beef and pork, which must arrive within six months of the packing date.
For U.S. beek and pork exporters to Costa Rica, the nine-day maximum for fresh meat was especially problematic, and its removal should benefit exporters serving this market.
In the report, USMEF Technical Services Manager Cheyenne McEndaffer explains the requirement was removed after USMEF worked with industry partners and U.S. trade officials to address this issue and bring it to a successful conclusion. McEndaffer believes this will create more opportunities for high-quality beef and pork in Costa Rica.
