WASHINGTON — The US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) shared July 9 that the government of Morocco issued new regulations for the importation of rendered animal meal exclusively for use in pet food. Prior to the new regulations, there was no established framework for the import of animal meal specifically for use in pet food. 

According to the FAS, these new regulations, issued by the Office National de Sécurité Sanitaire des Produits Alimentaries (ONSSA), open up opportunities for more applications of rendered products in animal feed. 

The regulations under the ONSSA’s code of procedures N05, specify the import conditions needed for animal meals to be used as raw materials exclusively for dog and cat foods. It also specifies risk management procedures related to the import and use of these materials. 

Prerequisite requirements to import animal meals into Morocco include a preliminary assessment of the ingredients’ country of origin, examination of the conditions of production, and a model health certificate. 

For their first time importing into Morocco, animal meal manufacturers that are authorized by the ONSSA are required to file an import application that includes documentation on:

  • A self-monitoring program based on risk analysis, according to the HACCCP approach, documenting the nature of the animal species used in the manufacturing of the animal meal
  • A technical sheet describing the methods of production and rate of incorporation of the animal meal in dog and cat food 
  • A detailed procedure for ensuring the traceability of imported animal meal
  • A list of recall plans

The authorization to import animal meal into Morocco will be issued by the ONSSA’s general directorate. It will include the quantity of animal meals allowed to be imported, the country of origin, details on the manufacturer and the model health certificate. 

Under the new regulation, ONSSA highlighted that it will be the animal meal manufacturers’ responsibility to ensure that their products are only used in the production of dog and cat foods in Morocco. 

For more regulatory news affecting the pet food market, visit our Regulatory page.