SANTO DOMINGO.- Eight years after the United States banned Dominican meats,  the country still awaits the federal permits or licenses to renter that market, despite that almost every year since 2001 government agencies and farming industry leaders announce resumed exports.

However the U.S. alleges that Dominican Republic neither passes its requirements nor has suitable laboratories to allow its meats to reenter its territory, as the local authorities and private sector apparently do very little to meet those demands.

Asked on when the country will reinitiate the meat sales to the United States, Livestock department director Angel Faxas said only that "the problem is in the equipment."

Dominican meats began to reach the U.S. at the start of the 1980s, with more than 20 million pounds exported in the 1998. From 1986 to 1998 were the best years for exports, though soon they began to fall.

The difficulties started with the negligence from the labs and from United States requirements, which demanded a federal export license.

With the start of meat imports in 1997 and the country’s laboratories in conditions of neglect, only four of 14 slaughterhouses survived. By 2000 the country’s federal export license had already expired and the fito-sanitary authorities requested an inspection to again be able to sell meats.

The county still doesn’t manage to meet U.S. requirements although meat imports have increased.

After losing the meat market, the country began imports to meet supermarket and restaurants demand, a figure which according to the Customs Agency reached US$30.4 million from January to November last year.