On Wednesday, November 23, Ryan and Virginia participated in a virtual meeting with the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service and industry stakeholders regarding Kuwait’s recent decision to adopt the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Guide for Imported Food Safety. A copy of the GCC guide can be found here. During the call, FAS representatives provided an update on Kuwait’s recent decision to implement the GCC Guide. Implementation of the guide has currently been delayed by Kuwaiti authorities until April 1, 2017 as the government considers the affects that the new rules will have on importers. Over the next few months, as Kuwaiti officials prepare for implementation, USDA FAS will be reaching out to Kuwaiti officials to ensure that U.S. health certificates for products such as poultry and dairy will be accepted at import. The top priority of FAS is to ensure that FAS mutual acceptance of all U.S. health certificates.

For information on this issue will be available in the coming months as the implementation date near. For more information please contact Gary or Ryan.