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Services

Welcome Caribbean Officials

The Caribbean Basin Agricultural Trade Office is one of seventy overseas offices of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS). FAS is the Department’s lead agency for coordinating international relations related to the international trade of agricultural products and represents all 18 agencies of USDA.

The CBATO’s mission is to ensure foreign governments have access to information about current issues concerning U.S. food and agricultural products.

We participate in regional agricultural activities and coordinate technical assistance training programs for the region. We share information on biotechnology, food, plant and animal safety procedures, and agricultural research. We have also sponsored Caribbean government officials to attend WTO, Codex, and SPS meetings.

Training Resources Available for the Caribbean

Interested in a training course or seminar in the United States? The Caribbean Basin ATO is proud to offer this helpful table to help you find out about the opportunities that are available. This Training Resources Guide brings together all the information related to the different courses and seminars offered, including the contact information for the institutions that offer training programs. There are courses to provide intensive training, exposure, and skills in a variety of areas ranging from veterinary science, to meat and poultry inspection, biotechnology, post harvest technology for horticulture, food industry, grain industry, epidemiology, sustainable agriculture, animal production and processing, and many more.

Training through the Cochran Fellowship Program for the Caribbean Basin

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is pleased to offer the Cochran Fellowship training program to qualified persons in the food and agricultural industry, from the public and private sector in the Caribbean. Each program is specifically designed to meet the needs of the participants. Participants meet with professionals in the field, participate in field observations and industry tours, experience on-the-job training, or attend the university coursers or seminars

Government Agencies Regulating Agriculture and Food Imports into the US

Links to other USDA and U.S. Government Contacts

USDA website

The USDA website is a comprehensive resource for information on the different USDA agencies and program areas. You may browse this information-rich site by subject area or use the search engine option to access information on specific topics.

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has a broad mission area that includes protecting and promoting U.S. agricultural health, regulating genetically engineered organisms, administering the Animal Welfare Act and carrying out wildlife damage management activities. APHIS has an office in the Dominican Republic which covers the entire Caribbean region. Please contact them directly for any questions or concerns related to animal health and plant protection and quarantine:

USDA-APHIS-IS

Caribbean Office

Phone: (809)-227-0111 ext. 293
Fax: (809)-227-1948

APHIS’ also has new Database of Import Requirements for Fruits and Vegetables (FAVIR). The new FAVIR database (http://www.aphis.usda.gov/favir/info.shtml) allows customers to search for authorized fruits and vegetables by commodity or country and to quickly and easily determine the general requirements for their importation into the United States. This database will include emergency pest notifications to alert users if there is a change in the import status of a commodity or country. It also allows APHIS officials and U.S. Customs and Border Protection agricultural inspectors to quickly determine whether or not a commodity is authorized entry into the U.S. as well as the general requirements for importation.

Food Safety and Inspection Service

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is the public health agency in the U.S. Department of Agriculture responsible for ensuring that the nation's commercial supply of meat, poultry, and egg products is safe, wholesome, and correctly labeled and packaged.

FSIS maintains a database of export requirements for meat and poultry products which is commonly referred to as the “FSIS Export Library.” This database can be accessed at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Regulations_&_Policies/Index_of_Import_Requirements_by_Country/index.asp

FSIS also maintains up to date information concerning product recalls in the United States. This information can be found at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fsis_Recalls/index.asp

Food and Drug Administration

The Food and Drug Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is responsible for the safety of processed food and drugs. The new Bioterrorism Act requires all food exporters (and all domestic producers) to register with FDA before they can export any food products to the United States. Please click on Bioterrorism Act on the FDA homepage to find out more.

America.gov

America.gov is maintained by the US State Department and provides a look into the aid distributed and current events in the World Community. It is produced by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of International Information Programs.

USAID

USAID is an independent federal government agency that receives overall foreign policy guidance from the Secretary of State. There work supports long-term and equitable economic growth and advances U.S. foreign policy objectives by supporting: economic growth, agriculture and trade; global health; and, democracy, conflict prevention and humanitarian assistance.

Accessing Current Product Recalls

Please go to the FSIS website (http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fsis_Recalls/index.asp) for up to date information about product recalls in the United States. The appropriate government official and importer will be contacted by our office if any recalled products have been exported to your country.

Accessing Current Trade Data

Up-to-date US trade data is available on-line at www.fas.usda.gov. Under the “Browse by Subject” category, simply click on “Market & Trade Data” on the left hand side of the screen. Then click on “Statistical Market Information” toward the top of the screen. Scroll down the page, and under the “Import & Export Data” sub-heading, you will find that there is information available in the following two formats:

1) Bulk, Intermediate, and Consumer-Oriented (BICO) Trade Reports – These reports are available in both calendar year and US fiscal year (Oct-Sep). Simply click on “BICO Reports” or go directly to http://www.fas.usda.gov/scriptsw/bico/bico_frm.asp.

2) U.S. Trade Reports – These reports provide a more comprehensive commodity-by-commodity breakdown. Simply click on “US Trade Reports” or go directly to http://www.fas.usda.gov/ustrade/. You can obtain trade data for products with up to 10 digit HS code specificity. Don’t know the harmonized code of the product you are interested in? No problem, just go to http://www.usitc.gov/tata/hts/bychapter/index.htm for the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States.

Other Online Databases

Up-to-date data is available on-line through a variety of systems. Click here to be transferred to a list of current databases.

Other USDA Offices in the Region

http://www.fas.usda.gov/scriptsw/fasfield/ovs_directory_search.asp

Office of Agricultural Affairs, U.S. Embassy Santo Domingo, is responsible for the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Haiti.

Jamie Rothschild- Agricultural Attaché, Tel.: 809-227-0112 ext. 275, Fax: 809-732-9454,

E-mail: agsantodomingo@usda.gov