Seven-Digit Export Stamp, Enhanced Digital Signature, Plain Paper Printing, and Statements Module for Use With the Export Module of the Public Health Information System - Phase Six
- PURPOSE
- This notice informs FSIS inspection program personnel (IPP) that Canada will be added in Phase Six of the Public Health Information System (PHIS) export module rollout on June 13, 2022. This notice also provides additional instructions to IPP for the enhanced digital signature that will be used for all meat, including Siluriformes, and poultry exports (excluding casings and egg products) to Canada. Instructions for the seven-digit export stamps remain the same for Phase Six.
- This notice informs IPP that once Canada is added to the PHIS export module on June 13, 2022, all meat and poultry export certificates will transition to the FSIS 9060 series forms (FSIS Form 9060-5, 9060-5S, 9060-5A, and 9060-5B) issued through PHIS. Meat and poultry exports to Canada will no longer be certified using FSIS Form 9135-3 or 9135-3A.
- This notice provides instructions to IPP when reviewing country-required statements generated by the PHIS statements module for Canada that will be added to PHIS on June 13, 2022. The PHIS statements module will replace the current use of letterhead certificates for meat and poultry exports that are processed in PHIS. Export applicants will no longer complete or attach any letterhead certificates for export applications for Canada on or after June 13, 2022. For Canada, the PHIS statements module will also be used to generate other statements that are not part of a letterhead certificate but are required as indicated in the FSIS Export Library.
- Additionally, this notice provides instructions for using standard white copy paper (8.5” x 11”) when IPP print a copy of an approved export certificate for Canada.
- BACKGROUND
- Phase One: On June 29, 2018, FSIS implemented the PHIS export module with the following initial group of 16 countries: Afghanistan, Andorra, Bahamas, Bolivia, Burundi, Cape Verde, Cook Islands, Ethiopia, French Guiana, Gambia, Guinea, Liberia, Mozambique, San Marino, Tanzania, and Uganda.
- Phase Two: The second group of countries and territories added to the PHIS export module on May 20, 2019, included: Angola, Antarctica, Aruba, Bhutan, Botswana, Bouvett Island, Brunei Darussalam, Christmas Island, Comoros, Eritrea, Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands, French Southern and Antarctic Islands, Greenland, Guernsey, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Isle of Man, Jersey, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, and Vietnam.
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Phase Three: The People’s Republic of China (China) was added to the PHIS export module on January 27, 2020.
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Phase Four: The fourth group of countries and territories added to the PHIS export module on July 26, 2021, included: 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, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mauritania, Micronesia, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Palau, Samoa, Sierra Leone, Togo, and Tonga.
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Phase Five: The fifth group of countries and territories added to the PHIS export module on August 30, 2021, included: Benin, Cambodia, Cayman Islands, Curaçao, Grenada, Guyana, Honduras, Macao, Myanmar, Panama, Qatar, Sri Lanka, St. Kitts and Nevis, and United Arab Emirates (UAE).
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Phase Six: Canada will be added to the PHIS export module on June 13, 2022.
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The complete list of all countries active in the PHIS export module is also available in the export section of the PHIS Components page of the FSIS website.
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After IPP review and approve the certificate package, PHIS will automatically apply the enhanced digital signature to all pages and upload a digital PDF of the signed export documents into the export task.
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IPP are to print the approved export certificates on standard white copy paper (8.5” x 11”) from the View Export Records (9060) grid, but only for establishments that do not have functional printers or PHIS access as indicated in Section VI below. All other establishments will print the approved export certificates from the Create/View 9060-6 Export Applications (9060) grid in PHIS, as indicated in Section III below.
- AWARENESS MEETING WITH ESTABLISHMENT MANAGEMENT
Immediately upon receipt of this notice, the inspector-in-charge (IIC) is to have a meeting with establishment management. During the meeting, the IIC is to inform establishment management that beginning June 13, 2022:- Canada will be added to the PHIS export module;
- All meat and poultry export applications (excluding egg products and casings) for Canada are to be processed in PHIS;
- All meat and poultry export certificates issued for Canada must be generated through PHIS, contain the FSIS approving official’s digital signature, and only be printed on standard white copy paper (8.5” x 11”);
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The export applicant, exporter, or representative with PHIS access will print a copy of a plain paper approved export certificate from the Create/View 9060-6 Export Applications (9060) grid in PHIS;
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A copy of an approved export certificate will not be available for printing unless the status in the 9060 grid says “Approved;”
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Approved export certificates will contain a watermark, “Approved Certificate – Available for Validation in PHIS;”
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FSIS will no longer sign and issue letterhead certificates for meat and poultry exports to Canada. Instead, all required statements will be included in the PHIS statements module. The statements will be selected by the export applicant when completing the export application in PHIS. PHIS will include the selected statements on FSIS Form 9060-5B;
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If not already known, IPP are to request the name of the establishment individual who serves as the Establishment Administrator, in addition to a current e-mail address. IPP are to enter the Establishment Administrator into the Contacts page of the Establishment Profile as outlined in FSIS Directive 5300.1, Managing the Establishment Profile in The Public Health Information System; and
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The PHIS Components page of the FSIS website provides additional information for exporters on gaining access to PHIS, as well as additional information regarding the PHIS export module.
- IPP RESPONSIBILITIES
- IPP are not to process paper export applications and are not to issue non-PHIS paper export certificates for meat or poultry exports to Canada beginning on June 13, 2022. All export applications (FSIS Form 9060-6) for meat and poultry exports to Canada are to be processed through PHIS with the resulting approved export certificate (FSIS Form 9060-5 or 9060-5S) and any continuation pages (FSIS Form 9060-5A and/or 9060-5B) printed on standard white copy paper (8.5” x 11”) by IPP only for establishments without a functional printer and PHIS access.
NOTE: IPP are to securely store any remaining unused copies of FSIS Form 9135-3 until further guidance is issued for their return or destruction. - IPP are to print the approved export certificates only for establishments that do not have a functional printer or PHIS access using the instructions in Section VI below. IPP are to access and print approved plain paper export certificate copies only from the View Export Records (9060) grid so the watermark, “Approved Certificate – Available for Validation in PHIS,” is applied. Printing from any location in PHIS other than the View Export Records (9060) grid is not permitted when the certificate is digitally signed and printed on plain paper, as the required watermark will not be applied.
- For all meat and poultry exports to Canada, PHIS will automatically generate and complete the appropriate export certificate and any continuation pages based on the data entered by the export applicant during the application process.
- IPP are not to process paper export applications and are not to issue non-PHIS paper export certificates for meat or poultry exports to Canada beginning on June 13, 2022. All export applications (FSIS Form 9060-6) for meat and poultry exports to Canada are to be processed through PHIS with the resulting approved export certificate (FSIS Form 9060-5 or 9060-5S) and any continuation pages (FSIS Form 9060-5A and/or 9060-5B) printed on standard white copy paper (8.5” x 11”) by IPP only for establishments without a functional printer and PHIS access.
- ENHANCED DIGITAL SIGNATURE
- FSIS implemented an enhanced digital signature on July 9, 2021, for all countries active in the PHIS export module that utilize a digital signature. With the enhanced digital signature process, IPP no longer manually apply a digital signature or manually upload any signed export documents.
- The instructions in this section of the notice cancel and replace previous instructions for applying the digital signature in Section DI of Chapter V and Attachments A and B of FSIS Directive 13,000.5, Public Health Information System Export Certification.
- Before approving the export application and applying the enhanced digital signature, IPP are to click the “Review Certificate Package” button on the “Approvals” tab of the export task. Clicking this button opens a separate window with a digital PDF of the export document(s), which IPP are to review prior to approval. After reviewing the export document(s), IPP are to close the PDF window without saving or printing the PDF.
NOTE: The “Approve and Sign” button is greyed out and not accessible until IPP click the “Review Certificate Package” button. If IPP close out their current PHIS session after clicking the “Review Certificate Package” button and before clicking the “Approve and Sign” button, they will need to click the “Review Certificate Package” button again before they are able to access and click the “Approve and Sign” button. - Once the FSIS certifying official (the Consumer Safety Inspector (CSI) when a veterinary signature is not required or Public Health Veterinarian (PHV) when a veterinary signature is required, as indicated in the Export Library) has reviewed the export document(s) and is ready to approve and digitally sign the export certificate in PHIS, they are to click the “Approve and Sign” button on the “Approvals” tab of the export task. Clicking this button will enable PHIS to automatically apply the enhanced digital signature to all pages and upload a PDF of the digitally signed export document(s) into the export task.
- Upon approval by the FSIS certifying official, the uploaded PDF will appear in the “Attachments” grid below the “Review Certificate Package” and “Approve and Sign” buttons. The uploaded PDF of the signed export document(s) will have a file name of the export certificate number (e.g., 1234567.pdf) and will be titled as “Signed Document.” After approving the export, IPP are to check the “Inspection Completed” box and save and close the export task.
- The official copy of the approved and digitally signed export certificate is digitally stored in PHIS and available for verification by foreign government officials via the Certificate Signature View (CSV) role in PHIS. IPP do not need to print a copy of the certificate for recordkeeping purposes.
- PRINTING A DIGITALLY SIGNED, APPROVED PLAIN PAPER EXPORT CERTIFICATE COPY FROM THE VIEW EXPORT RECORDS (9060) GRID
When IPP receive a request to print a plain paper copy of an approved export certificate IPP are to access the View Export Records (9060) grid using the following steps to print one copy of the digitally signed approved export certificate on standard white copy paper (8.5” x 11”):- From the PHIS home page, click the “Export” tab in the left vertical menu;
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Under Export, click on “9060” and the View Export Records (9060) grid opens;
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Locate the approved export certificate you want to print using the various search parameters at the top of the grid or by scrolling through the pages of the grid;
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Under the PDF column on the right side of the grid, click on the PDF of the approved export certificate you want to print;
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A separate window opens a PDF of the approved export certificate with the FSIS approving official’s digital signature and the watermark “Approved Certificate – Available for Validation in PHIS;”
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Print one copy of the export certificate using standard white copy paper (8.5” x 11”);
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Confirm that the plain paper copy has the necessary watermark with the statement, “Approved Certificate - Available for Validation in PHIS;” and
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Close the PDF without saving a copy, as the digitally signed PDF certificate is already recorded in PHIS.
- PHIS STATEMENTS MODULE
- IPP are to be aware that letterhead certificates are not to be used by the export applicant, and IPP are not to sign and issue letterhead certificates for meat and poultry export shipments to Canada beginning on June 13, 2022.Instead, the country-required statements from the letterhead certificates or other required statements from the FSIS Export Library will be added via the statements module within PHIS to FSIS Form 9060-5B.
- IPP are to be aware that PHIS will have all country-required statements pre-programmed into the system. The export applicant will select the appropriate statement(s) based on the product(s) listed on the export application and the guidance provided in the FSIS Export Library for Canada. PHIS will automatically display all selected statements on FSIS Form 9060-5B. In situations where multiple products are included on an export application and multiple sets of statements are required by the importing country, the export applicant will need to select each set of required statements. For example, if an export shipment includes poultry and beef, and there are poultry and beef statements that are required in the FSIS Export Library for Canada the export applicant will select the statement(s) for poultry and the statement(s) for beef.
- IPP are to be aware that export applicants are not able to edit or alter the content of any of the selected statements, except when required to enter data, such as an ineligible U.S. state, cooking time, cooking temperature, etc. The statements used in the PHIS statements module are the exact statements from the current letterhead certificates or other statements as required in the FSIS Export Library for Canada. IPP are to verify the correct country-required statements are included on the export certificate based on the requirements listed in the FSIS Export Library for Canada and the products listed for export on the export certificate.
- IPP are to be aware that export applicants can unlock the export application and edit which statements they select or deselect at any point prior to the application’s final approval by the FSIS certifying official. If IPP observe missing country-required statements or incorrect statements that have been added by the export applicant, IPP are not to immediately reject the application. Instead, IPP are to inform the export applicant that they need to correct the required statements and re-submit the export application after correction. After correction and re-submission of the export application by the export applicant, IPP are to continue their application review and approval process in PHIS.
- The FSIS Export Library for Canada will be updated prior to June 13, 2022 and will reflect the transition from using letterhead certificates to using country-required statements via the PHIS statements module. Links to any existing letterhead certificates will remain in the FSIS Export Library for Canada until Canada is added to PHIS on June 13, 2022. On June 13, 2022, the FSIS Export Library for Canada will be updated to remove letterhead certificate links and will reflect the required statements to be used by the export applicant via the PHIS statements module.
- SEVEN-DIGIT EXPORT STAMP
For all exports processed through PHIS, the system will automatically generate a seven-digit (numbers only) export certificate number upon creation of the export application by the export applicant. This seven-digit export certificate number will be used as the USDA export stamp number to mark the products for export. IPP certifying exports to Canada can order a seven-digit export stamp if they do not already have one. This is an accountable item and is to be securely handled in the same fashion as the six-digit export stamp. - ACCOUNTABLE SUPPLIES
The seven-digit export stamp (item number FSIS-03-7) is available from the Materiel Management Service Center (MMSC). IPP are to use the following link for ordering instructions: www.bsc.usda.gov IPP are to send their orders via e-mail to cfpdc@dm.usda.gov or via fax to (301) 394-0300. - QUESTIONS
Refer questions regarding this notice or any other export questions to your supervisor or as needed to the Office of Policy and Program Development through askFSIS or by telephone at 1-855-444-9904. When submitting a question, complete the web form and select Export for the inquiry type.
NOTE: Refer to FSIS Directive 5620.1, Using askFSIS, for additional information on submitting questions.