Chile – In March 2015, fresh/frozen pork was given improved access to Chile if the product is derived from hogs raised under the Pork Quality Assurance Plus (PQA+) program, as certified under an AMS export verification (EV) program.

Previously, fresh/frozen pork destined for Chile had to test negative for trichinosis or be treated/frozen. This positive development gives exporters another option for certifying pork for the Chilean market. In addition to making the market more accessible for chilled pork, these regulatory changes can also reduce the time and cost involved in shipping frozen pork.

In April 2015, similar changes were implemented for U.S. pork destined for Peru.

UPDATE: In March 2017, the FSIS Export Library entries for Chile and Peru were amended offer another Pork Quality Assurance Plus (PQA+) option for meeting these countries’ trichinae mitigation attestation requirements. The export requirements did not change, but exporters may now utilize either the APHIS PQA+ program or the AMS Export Verification (EV) program, if using PQA+ as the mitigation method. Testing, freezing, or another process (such as heat treatment) that guarantees the destruction of the parasite are still available as other mitigation options.