In a key win for U.S. dairy exporters’ ability to help meet Costa Rican dairy demand, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Costa Rica’s National Animal Health Service (SENASA) have agreed to put in place a streamlined procedure for registering U.S. dairy facilities to export to Costa Rica. The new process replaces a much more cumbersome dairy facility questionnaire and lengthy registration process which Costa Rica has long maintained. The announcement was detailed in a May 23 report published by USDA.
“We are proud of supporting the great work of the USDA Foreign Agriculture Service, USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service, Food and Drug Administration and U.S. Trade Representative’s Office to painstakingly reach an understanding with Costa Rica to facilitate the export of high-quality U.S. dairy products,” said U.S. Dairy Export Council president and CEO Krysta Harden. “This important step recognizes the strength of the U.S. dairy regulatory system and deepens bilateral engagement under the CAFTA-DR at a key time for U.S.-Costa Rica trade relations.”
Dairy demand in Costa Rica is growing due to its strong economy and expanding middle class. With all dairy tariffs having reached zero this year under the Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR), opportunities are ripe for U.S. dairy exporters to expand sales that complement Costa Rican dairy production. The new streamlined process for U.S. dairy facilities to register to sell products to Costa Rica brightens those prospects further.
“Costa Rica is an excellent trading partner, due in major part to the successful U.S.-Central American Free Trade Agreement. This breakthrough between USDA and Costa Rica’s National Animal Health Service further cements that relationship and builds on the zero-tariff trading conditions for dairy exporters that began this year,” said Gregg Doud, president and CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation.
The USDA-SENASA announcement marks the successful outcome of years of effort by USDEC’s Market Access & Regulatory Affairs team and the USDEC/NMPF Trade Policy team, together with the U.S. government, to simplify Costa Rica’s facility registration process for U.S. dairy exporters. After extensive collaboration with USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service and SENASA – including a 2024 SENASA visit to evaluate how U.S. authorities oversee dairy establishments and how U.S. facilities comply – SENASA completed its review in May 2025 and approved the first U.S. dairy facility under the new, simplified process.
Source: U.S. Dairy Export Council
