Morocco has approved US rendered animal proteins for pet food, opening a new export market for American suppliers after a four-year effort led by NARA in partnership with the USDA and Moroccan authorities.
- Market Access Granted: Morocco's ONSSA published a sanitary certificate with USDA APHIS, establishing an official export pathway for US rendered animal protein meals.
- Four-Year Timeline: NARA began assessing African markets in 2022, hosted a technical workshop in Casablanca in 2024, and completed negotiations by November 2024.
- Key Stakeholders: Pilgrim's Pride, Tyson Foods, Darling Ingredients, and FPL Food hosted Moroccan delegation visits to US rendering facilities in January 2026.
- Next Steps: ONSSA must authorize specific US plants before shipments begin; NARA expects modest initial volumes and will pursue approvals for poultry and aquaculture feed.
- Future Expansion: NARA plans technical training for ONSSA inspectors with the American Feed Industry Association scheduled for January 2027.
Morocco has opened its market to U.S. rendered animal protein meals for dog and cat food, the North American Renderers Association (NARA) announced Nov. 10. Morocco’s National Office for Food Safety (ONSSA) published the sanitary certificate agreed upon with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), establishing an export pathway for U.S. suppliers.
“Solving market access issues is a long process and requires broad stakeholder engagement,” said Kent Swisher, president and CEO of NARA. “This result comes from years of persistent, methodical work by our team and our partners. We are grateful to USDA and to ONSSA for working through the technical requirements with us.”
The approval follows a four-year effort supported by the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) and carried out with LixCap Advisory, NARA’s representative for Africa. Beginning in 2022, NARA assessed markets in North and West Africa and identified Morocco as the priority, hosting a technical workshop in Casablanca in 2024. NARA then signed a memorandum of understanding with Morocco’s feed manufacturers’ association, the Association des Fabricants d’Aliments Composés (AFAC), and helped launch certificate negotiations between APHIS and ONSSA.
In January 2026, ONSSA and AFAC officials visited the United States to meet with APHIS, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), and to tour U.S. rendering plants.
“This is a major milestone in our African market development activities,” said Dana Johnson Downing, senior vice president of international programs at NARA. “We thank AFAC, ONSSA, FDA, USDA APHIS and the FAS team in Rabat, and our members Pilgrim’s Pride, Tyson Foods, Darling Ingredients and FPL Food, who hosted the Moroccan delegation.”
The member companies that hosted the delegation were Pilgrim’s Pride, Tyson Foods, Darling Ingredients and FPL Food.
Before shipments can begin, ONSSA must list the U.S. plants authorized to export. NARA is working with FAS Rabat and APHIS to complete that list.
NARA said it expects modest initial volumes. The association will continue to seek approval for rendered proteins in Moroccan poultry and aquaculture feed, including a technical training for ONSSA inspectors with the American Feed Industry Association in January 2027.
