9 CFR § 94.13 - Restrictions on importation of pork or pork products from specified regions.
(a) Pork or pork products and ship's stores, airplane meals, and baggage containing pork or pork products, other than those articles regulated under part 95 or part 96 of this chapter, produced in any region listed under paragraph (a)(2) of this section may not be imported into the United States unless the requirements of this section, in addition to other applicable requirements of part 327 of this title, are met.
(1) The regions listed under paragraph (a)(2) of this section have been declared free of swine vesicular disease as provided in § 94.12(a) but supplement their national pork supply by the importation of fresh (chilled or frozen) meat of animals from regions where swine vesicular disease is considered to exist, or have a common border with such regions, or have trade practices that are less restrictive than are acceptable to the United States. Thus, the pork or pork products may be commingled with fresh (chilled or frozen) meat of animals from a region where swine vesicular disease is considered to exist, resulting in an undue risk of swine vesicular disease introduction into the United States.
(2) A list of regions whose products are regulated under this section is maintained on the APHIS website at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/animal-and-animal-product-import-information/animal-health-status-of-regions. Copies of the list are also available via postal mail upon request to Regionalization Evaluation Services, Strategy and Policy, Veterinary Services, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, 4700 River Road, Unit 38, Riverdale, Maryland 20737; AskRegionalization@usda.gov.
(3) APHIS will add a region to the list of those whose products are regulated under this section after conducting an evaluation of the region and determining that one or more of the circumstances listed in paragraph (a)(1) of this section exists. APHIS will remove a region from the list upon conducting an evaluation of the region and determining that the circumstances in paragraph (a)(1) of this section no longer exist or upon determining that swine vesicular disease exists in the region.
(b) All such pork or pork products, except those treated in accordance with § 94.12(b)(1)(i) of this part, shall have been prepared only in inspected establishments that are eligible to have their products imported into the United States under the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) and under § 327.2 of this title and shall be accompanied by the foreign meat inspection certificate required by § 327.4 of this title. Upon arrival of the pork or pork products in the United States, the foreign meat inspection certificate must be presented to an authorized inspector at the port of arrival.
(c) Unless such pork or pork products are treated according to one of the procedures described in § 94.12(b) of this part, the pork or pork products must be accompanied by an additional certificate issued by a full-time salaried veterinary official of the agency in the national government responsible for the health of the animals within that region. Upon arrival of the pork or pork products in the United States, the certificate must be presented to an authorized inspector at the port of arrival. The certificate shall state the name and official establishment number of the establishment where the swine involved were slaughtered and the pork was processed. The certificate shall also state that:
(1) The slaughtering establishment is not permitted to receive animals that originated in a region considered to have swine vesicular disease or that have ever been in a region in which swine vesicular disease existed.
(2) The slaughtering establishment is not permitted to receive pork derived from swine which originated in such a region or pork from swine from a swine vesicular disease free region which has been transported through a region where swine vesicular disease is considered to exist except pork which was transported in containers sealed with serially numbered seals of the National Government of a region of origin listed under § 94.12(a) as a region considered free of the disease.
(3) The pork has been processed, stored, and transported to the means of conveyance that will bring the article to the United States in a manner that precludes its being commingled or otherwise coming in contact with pork or pork products that have not been handled in accordance with the requirements of this section.