Costa Rica’s SENASA authorizes new poultry, pork, and meat processing plants in Chile

The plants that were granted approval are Coexca, Comafri, Friofort, Precisa Frozen, Faenadora Lo Miranda Pollos, and Procesadora de Alimentos del Sur (El Milagro). These plants were audited in December 2023 and have complied with the strict standards required by the Costa Rican authorities, enabling them to begin exporting meat products to the country.

On September 16, the Agriculture and Livestock Service (SAG) confirmed that various Chilean processing plants were authorized to export to Costa Rica after receiving approval from the country’s health authority (SENASA). The authorization is effective for three years beginning September 6, 2024, and will allow new Chilean companies to export to this market.

“This is very good news that reflects more than 8 years of efforts by SAG and these companies, together with the help of ChileCarne. Throughout this time, countless technical documents had to be sent to SENASA, both from SAG and from the companies themselves, in addition to an on-site audit,” said Rodrigo Castañón, ChileCarne’s Business Manager.

In 2023, Costa Rica imported 20 tons of pork, amounting to $72 million USD, and 32,000 tons of poultry meat, equivalent to $61 million USD. Chile is the second largest supplier of pork to Costa Rica and the third largest supplier of poultry meat in terms of volume.

This authorization allows Chile to expand the supply of poultry and pork it exports to Costa Rica, adding new plants to the list of those authorized by SENASA. This achievement consolidates the presence of Chilean poultry and pork in this important Latin American market and helps to make it more competitive.

The opening of the Costa Rican market shows the success of the efforts made by SAG and the industry, which continue to work to diversify and expand Chilean exports in international markets.