APHIS Announces Update to Registered Aquaculture Export Facility (RAEF) Inspection Program
USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service sent this bulletin at 08/16/2023 04:59 PM EDTThe United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is updating its Registered Aquaculture Export Facility (RAEF) inspection program. These program changes, referred to as “RAEF 2.0”, will become effective September 18, 2023.
When an importing country requires official APHIS oversight of the exporting facility or premises freedom for any pathogens, the aquatic animal facility must be inspected and approved by APHIS prior to shipping animals internationally. APHIS will inspect and approve all new exporting aquatic animal facilities using RAEF 2.0 documents and processes at the effective date; and apply changes to currently enrolled facilities at their next regularly scheduled annual facility inspection and approval.
APHIS will host a series of training webinars in September 2023 about RAEF 2.0 updates and expectations for external stakeholders and facilities; an email will be sent to all stakeholders in the coming days with the webinar schedule and connection information. Also, in September 2023, APHIS will publish a new website dedicated to aquatic animal export resources in, including step-by-step guides on the RAEF 2.0 inspection program.
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