Exporting Pet Food to Korea: MAFRA IHR Grace Period Extension and OEM Checklist

# Exporting Pet Food to Korea: MAFRA IHR Grace Period Extension and OEM Checklist

According to USDA FAS report KS2025-0054, Korea's Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) amended the Notice of Import Health Requirements (IHR) for Pet Food on December 12, 2025, adding a two-year grace period on top of the new requirements first published January 14, 2025. The new rules also open an approval pathway for pet food with ruminant ingredients, restricted since 2003. For Chinese OEM factories and brands targeting Korea, this is a compliance window that should be mapped out early.

Key Facts on the New Rules and Grace Period

| Item | Details |

|---|---|

| Authority | Korea MAFRA; quarantine executed by the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency (QIA) |

| Original IHR published | January 14, 2025 |

| Grace-period amendment | December 12, 2025, two additional years |

| Scope | Dog and cat food and chews containing cloven-hoofed or poultry ingredients |

| New pathway | Ruminant-ingredient pet food may apply for approval under the new rules |

| Transitional arrangement | Existing products may export under prior requirements during the grace period; full compliance required afterward |

What OEM Factories Must Prepare for Korea Exports

1. Establishment Registration and Qualification Documents

• The factory must be approved and under effective supervision by the competent authority of its home country;
• Maintain an effective food safety and sanitation management system;
• Overseas manufacturer registration or filing recognized by the importing country's authority is typically required for Korea-bound shipments;
• Business license, production permit, and quality system documents organized per target-channel requirements.

2. Ingredient Origin and Animal-Component Evidence

• Animal-origin ingredients (meat meal, bone meal, fat, hydrolysate, etc.) carry source species, origin, and slaughter/quarantine evidence;
• Cloven-hoofed and poultry ingredients are collected separately under quarantine requirements;
• Products with ruminant ingredients prepare species and processing descriptions under the new approval pathway;
• Plant ingredients and additives provide catalog basis and specification sheets.

3. Process and Sanitation Control Documents

• Process flow description (grinding, mixing, forming, drying, sterilization, packaging);
• Finished-product controls: moisture, water activity, microbial indicators;
• Batch records, retention samples, and traceability system description;
• Packaging materials and label information (target-market language, ingredient format).

4. Product Labels and Test Reports

• Verify ingredient list, guaranteed analysis, shelf life, storage, and manufacturer/importer information against Korea requirements;
• Complete required testing before export per customer or quarantine requirements;
• Target-language and Chinese versions of the label archived separately.

Compliance Actions Within the Grace Period

1. **Review active SKUs**: Classify existing or planned Korea-bound products by animal component: ruminant, poultry, aquatic, plant-based;

2. **Update documents against the new rules**: Complete establishment registration, ingredient origin evidence, and sanitation/process files during the transition;

3. **Pre-review labels**: Build Korea label requirements into formula sampling to avoid layout rework after mass production;

4. **Assess ruminant ingredients separately**: Beef, lamb and other ruminant products confirm document lists with the importer under the new pathway;

5. **Keep version records**: Document differences between prior and new requirements in factory files for customs quarantine checks.

Common Misconceptions

1: Grace Period Means No Need to Prepare New-Rule Documents

The transition is a buffer, not an exemption. All products must comply when it ends; early preparation avoids last-minute queuing.

2: Export Documents Are the Importer's Job, Not the Factory's

The importer files in Korea, but factory-side qualifications, ingredient evidence, and sanitation files are the filing foundation. Without factory documents, the importer cannot clear customs.

3: Ruminant Products Use the Same Documents as Poultry Products

Ruminant ingredients follow a separate approval pathway with more detailed species origin and processing requirements, collected as a distinct file set.

What to Check in an Export-Oriented Co-Packer

1. Export category experience and ability to provide similar qualification templates;

2. Complete ingredient traceability and animal-component evidence system;

3. Cooperation on overseas registration/filing factory materials;

4. Multi-language label layout and compliance review capability;

5. Batch traceability, retention samples, and test records available to clients.

Bottom Line

Korea's two-year IHR extension gives exporters time to adjust, but the compliance checklist does not simplify automatically. Brands and OEM factories targeting Korea should complete document review in the first half of the transition: establishment registration, ingredient origin evidence, process sanitation, and label pre-review.

Brands planning Korea or Northeast Asia export categories can work with **Mixiaoqi pet food OEM/ODM** in Guangzhou to map animal components in export formulas, prepare factory qualification and ingredient evidence checklists, and assist label pre-review against target-market requirements.

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FAQ

**Q: When does the grace period end?**

A: The December 12, 2025 MAFRA amendment adds two years on top of the original new rules; exact enforcement dates follow Korean official notices and importer updates.

**Q: Can beef-containing pet food now export to Korea?**

A: The new rules open an approval pathway for ruminant ingredients; species origin and processing materials are submitted under the new pathway and approved before export. Confirm the list with the Korean importer first.

**Q: Who handles factory registration, the brand or the factory?**

A: Overseas manufacturer registration is filed under the factory entity, with brand/importer support; the factory must provide complete qualifications and system documents.