Red Meat Export Requirements for Hong Kong

1. Eligible product
   1. All fresh/frozen beef and beef products (excluding ineligible product as stated in B.1. below) derived from cattle of any age slaughtered on or after June 17, 2014. An AMS Export Verification (EV) program is no longer required for these products.
   2. Ground beef (excluding ineligible product as stated in B.1. below) from cattle slaughtered on or after June 17, 2014 is eligible.  For this item, exporters are advised to work closely with importers to ensure requisite import permits are issued by appropriate Hong Kong officials.
   3. Fresh/ frozen pork and lamb products.
   4. Wild boar.
2. Ineligible product
   1. Mechanically separated meat, lean finely textured beef (LFTB), scrap meat, trimmings or other pieces (whether with or without bone) from skeletal muscle indistinguishable from beef trimmings, and product from advanced meat recovery systems.

Labeling Requirements

1. Tenderized meat shall be clearly and legibly marked with the words "TENDERIZED" in capital letters and must be written in English and Chinese.

Meat products that are compliant with Hong Kong requirements and arrive with required FSIS health certificate(s) will be allowed entry irrespective of carton labels with a China reference.

Documentation Requirements

All FSIS export certificates accompanying the product must be signed by a FSIS veterinarian. The veterinary degree (DVM or equivalent) must be indicated after the signature.

1. Fresh/Frozen pork, wild boar, and lamb products.
   1. Obtain FSIS Form 9060-5 - Meat and Poultry Certificate of Wholesomeness.
      1. Use of the terminology "miscellaneous meat products" is unacceptable on FSIS Form 9060-5.
      2. For wild boar, the scientific name ( Sus scrofa), should be included in the Remarks section of FSIS Form 9060-5.
2. Beef and beef products
   1. The export applicant must provide information about the consignment that includes specific product identification information, production date, number of boxes, and manufacturer.
   2. Obtain FSIS Form 9060-5, Meat and Poultry Export Certificate of Wholesomeness.
   3. FSIS Form 9297-1 (02/15/2006), Export Certificate of Wholesomeness for Beef, is required.
      1. The following information must be provided in the Remarks section of FSIS Form 9297-1:
         1. Slaughter dates in month/day/year format. Date ranges are acceptable.
         2. Processing dates in month/day/year format. Date ranges area acceptable.
      2. FSIS Form 9297-1 must be accurately completed. Errors such as incorrect establishment numbers, names and addresses of establishments may result in delayed or denied entry. In addition, the establishment number, name and address must agree with the information published on the AMS website. Also, if the product was certified at a slaughter/cutting plant, then both "slaughtering plant" and "processing plant" blocks must be checked in the section entitled "Product Exported From". The Government of Hong Kong is checking accompanying export certificates very closely and errors of this nature may result in delayed or denied entry.
      3. Additional certification statements in the Remarks section of FSIS Form 9060-5 and 9297-1 are prohibited. The only information that can be entered in the Remarks section is that information indicated in the country requirements.
   4. For cattle slaughtered on or after June 17, 2014, obtain an FSIS Letterhead Certificate with the following statements indicated below:
      1. The beef or beef products exclude mechanically separated beef, products from advanced recovery system, lean finely textured beef, scrap meat, and trimmings or other pieces (whether with or without bone) indistinguishable from trimmings.
      2. The feeding of ruminants with meat and bone meal and greaves derived from ruminants has been banned and the ban has been effectively enforced.
      3. The beef or beef products were neither derived from nor contaminated with the following specified risk materials:  the brain, skull, eyes, trigeminal ganglia, spinal cord, vertebral column (excluding the vertebrae of the tail, the transverse processes of the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae, and the wings of the sacrum), and dorsal root ganglia of cattle 30 months of age and older, and the tonsils and distal ileum of any cattle regardless of age.
      4. The cattle from which beef or beef products were derived were
         not subjected to a stunning process, prior to slaughter, with a device injecting compressed air or gas into the cranial cavity or to a pithing process.
      5. The beef or beef products were derived from cattle that passed ante-mortem and post-mortem inspection.  The beef or beef products were derived from cattle that were slaughtered under official supervision in FSIS-inspected establishments.  The beef or beef products were derived from cattle free from systemic contagious, infectious and parasitic disease at the time of slaughter.
      6. The beef or beef products were produced in accordance with the FSIS National Residue Program, which ensures that the product is free of harmful residues.
      7. The United States has been evaluated and classified by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) as a country with a negligible-risk status for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).
   5. Hong Kong requires that the state of refrigeration at the time of certification be indicated in the "PRODUCT AS LABELED" block of FSIS Form 9060-5. For example, a product labeled as "pork tongues" must be entered as "frozen pork tongues" when the product is shipped frozen. The term frozen may be entered in the block if the product is frozen at the time of export inspection even if "frozen" is not part of the product name. Should fresh product be shipped, (e.g. air shipment) the term "chilled" would be used.
   6. All FSIS certificates must include the species under product description.

Other Requirements

1. Products may be subjected to laboratory examination, as the Hong Kong officials reserve the right to sample for microbiological examination and refuse entry to unsatisfactory product.
2. Ship Stores: All meat and poultry products exported to ship stores must comply with the export requirements for Hong Kong.