USDA greenlights an expanded array of pork products that can be imported to the U.S. from Tuscany and Umbria.

June 21, 2024

In the wake of the USDA’s greenlight to expand pork imports from central Italy, this year’s Taste of Italy (Dallas and El Paso) will be the first to feature fresh and short-term cured pork products. The following is a translation of a press release issued by the Italian government announcing the changes in U.S. Federal regulations. Please join us in October to taste a wide array of Italian wines and foods that will be presented at Taste of Italy, the largest trade fair in the U.S. devoted exclusively to Italian products.

The statement published by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs:

Last week, Michael Watson, Administrator of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, signed the Federal Register “final notice” that modifies the Code of Regulations Title 9 CFR 94.12(a)(1) whereby the Italian regions of Tuscany and Umbria are now included in the list of territories free from swine vesicular disease (SVD).

The publication of the final notice marks the official conclusion of the U.S. government’s lengthy process for the inclusion of the two regions in the list of territories that are free from SVD.

The provision, which will go into effect on July 12, 2024, allows for the expansion of types of pork products that can be exported to the U.S. from Tuscany and Umbria, including fresh pork products and short-term cured products that have been packaged in specially equipped facilities.

In order to export their products, these facilities must adopt the procedural measures required by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

Italian pork products represent a promising sector in bilateral trade between the two countries. According to the Italian government’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Italian pork products to the U.S. were valued at $240 million in 2023. In the first two months of 2024, that figure increased by 25 percent with respect to the same period in 2023 (source: U.S. Department of Commerce via the Italian Trade Commission in New York).