Mexican inspectors rejected three cargoes of pork skins from the Smithfield plant in Tar Heel, North Carolina, before delisting the plant relative to its ability to ship pork into Mexico June 16, according to a report from Reuters.
Rava Forwarding was also delisted by Mexico June 18 and the country's health safety agency Senasica said Rava was the third-party company involved in the situation.
Smithfield issued a statement last week after the delisting that issue was not linked to Smithfield or the Tar Heel plant but an unnamed third-party company. Reuters reported that Senasica said it rejected a shipment April 15 from the Tar Heel plan after inspectors observed rotting product covered with "yellowish spots."
Two more rejections took place in June, the report said, which may have included a mix of product from both plants. Senasica said the decision to delist the two facilities was based on the "accumulation" of tainted cargoes of refrigerated pork skins.
It is not clear how long the delisting will last, but it could take at least a few months, the agency said.