Export Module of the Public Health Information System - Phase Ten Mexico
FSIS Notice
42-24
Issue Date
Oct 11, 2024
Expiration Date
Nov 01, 2025
Full Notice
- PURPOSE
- This notice informs inspection program personnel (IPP) that export certificates (FSIS Form 9060-5 Export Certificate of Wholesomeness series) for meat and poultry exports designated for Mexico will be requested, approved, generated, issued, and officially maintained in Public Health Information System (PHIS) beginning November 4, 2024.
- All export certificates generated through PHIS for Mexico will be digitally signed by IPP in PHIS, then printed on plain paper by industry personnel with a PHIS export access role. The PHIS-generated certificate will be printed with a required watermark. Printing from any location in PHIS other than the View 9060-6 Export Applications grid is not acceptable since the required watermark is only applied to a certificate printed from this grid.
- All attestations and information as described in the FSIS Export Library for Mexico will be captured in the Remarks section of the FSIS Form 9060-5 or on the FSIS Form 9060-5B (continuation sheet). Export applicants will no longer complete or attach any letterhead certificates to export applications for Mexico on or after November 4, 2024.
- BACKGROUND
- The complete list of all countries active in the PHIS export module is available in the Export Country Rollout Schedule section of the PHIS Components page of the FSIS website.
- 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.
- 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 November 4, 2024:- All meat and poultry export applications for Mexico will be processed in PHIS;
- Export certificates for meat and poultry exports designated for Mexico will be requested, approved, generated, issued, and officially maintained in the PHIS export module;
- All export certificates (FSIS Form 9060-5 series) generated through PHIS for Mexico will be printed on plain paper by industry personnel with PHIS access and include a watermark when printed;
- FSIS will no longer sign and issue letterhead certificates for meat and poultry exports to Mexico. All attestations and information as documented in the Export Library for Mexico will be captured in the FSIS Form 9060-5 remarks section or the FSIS Form 9060-5B (continuation sheet);
- FSIS IPP will not print any 9060-5 series certificates, as printing the certificates is an industry function;
- Export applicants with pending certifications for Mexico that have not yet been completed and signed by FSIS on paper before November 4, 2024, will need to submit a new original (not replacement) application in PHIS on or after November 4, 2024, in order to receive a digitally signed export certificate; and
- The PHIS Components page of the FSIS website provides additional information for exporters on gaining access to PHIS, as well as additional information regarding use of the PHIS export module.
- IPP are to request the name and email address of the establishment individual who serves as the Establishment Administrator during the meeting if this information is not already documented in PHIS. IPP are to enter the Establishment Administrator into the Contacts page of the establishment profile as instructed in FSIS Directive 5300.1, Managing the Establishment Profile in the Public Health Information System.
- 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.
- 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 the export document(s), which IPP are to review for accuracy and alignment with requirements in the FSIS Export Library prior to approval. After reviewing the export document(s), IPP are to close the window with the export documents without saving or printing.
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 FSIS 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 automatically apply the enhanced digital signature to all pages and upload a PDF of the digitally signed export documents into the export task.
- Upon clicking the "Approve and Sign" button for approval by the FSIS certifying official, the approved digitally signed PDF document(s) will appear in the "Attachments" grid below the "Review Certificate Package" and "Approve and Sign" buttons. These signed PDF 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 certificate, IPP are to check the "Inspection Completed" box and save and close the export task. If the IPP do not check this box and click the close button, the signed PDF official certificate will not appear in the 9060 grid and the status will remain "Pending Upload". An official digitally signed export certificate with the required watermark "Approved Certificate - Available for Validation in PHIS" will not be available in PHIS if this step is not completed.
- 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.
- 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 Mexico beginning on November 4, 2024. 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 the digital 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.
- IPP are to be aware that PHIS will display all statements selected by the export applicant on FSIS Form 9060-5B. In situations where multiple products are included on an export application and multiple sets of statements are required by Mexico as the importing country, IPP are to be aware that 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 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, or other information that may vary depending on the importing country's requirements for a particular product. 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. 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 and the products listed for export on the export certificate.
- IPP are to be aware that export applicants can unlock the export application and change 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, including verification of any statements selected by the exporter applicant to ensure alignment with requirements in the FSIS Export Library.
- QUESTIONS
Refer questions about the FSIS Export Library requirements for Mexico to your supervisor. Refer questions regarding this notice or export related directives to your supervisor or as needed to the Office of Policy and Program Development through askFSIS or by telephone at 1-800-233-3935. 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.