The Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service reports that on July 9 its Public Health Information System will be enhanced with a new technology allowing a one-step process to apply the digital signatures of approving FSIS inspection program personnel to export certificates and other associated forms. These enhancements will also include a more secure method for foreign governments to access, verify, and authenticate export certificates in the Foreign Country Log-in feature in PHIS, although this enhancement will not apply to countries that require a wet ink signature for export certificates.
On July 26, FSIS will implement all export certificates in PHIS for the following countries, regions, and territories: Bangladesh, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Georgia, Guinea-Bissau, Laos, Libya, Macao, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mauritania, Micronesia, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Palau, Samoa, Sierra Leone, Togo, and Tonga.
On Aug. 30, FSIS will implement all export certificates in PHIS for the following countries, regions, and territories: Benin, Cambodia, Cayman Islands, Curaçao, Grenada, Guyana, Honduras, Myanmar, Panama, Qatar, Sri Lanka, St. Kitts and Nevis, United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela.
The PHIS export component enables exporters to electronically submit, track, and manage applications for export certificates, including bundling multiple applications and supplemental documents into a single file. Foreign governments have the capability to view all export certificates issued by FSIS for product intended for their country. FSIS is able to digitally sign export certificates and to electronically inventory and track export certificate information, which enables it to review exact images of export certification documents prior to approval. In the future, FSIS intends to support electronic export certification, which will allow it to transfer certification data directly to the certification system of the foreign government’s competent authority.
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