Livestock Minister Fernando Mattos announced this Thursday in press conference the details on the sanitary authorization granted by the government to allow the importation of bone-in beef from Brazil, while also exporting refrigerators will be allowed to join that business. The hierarch indicated that it is an “important” and “relevant” announcement, and that it has alreadyStarting this Friday, importers will be able to make the request to enter that merchandise.
The qualification —which will be granted by Uruguay— will reach the four states that have a higher health status than Uruguay. Last year, the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) raised from one to four the number of Brazilian states recognized as free of foot-and-mouth disease without vaccination (Acre, Paraná, Río Grande do Sul and Rondônia). There’s also areas of the states of Amazonas and Mato Grosso that have the same health status. Uruguay is recognized by the OIE as free of foot-and-mouth disease with vaccination.
Mattos reported that these states has a beef rodeo “very important”, on an axis of 50 million heads (Uruguay’s stock slightly exceeds 11 million animals).
“We have received both from the private sector and from the Brazilian government, the request to authorize the import of bone-in beef from those states and today we are authorizing that possibility,” Mattos made official.
The hierarch assured that the fundamental objective is “give the guarantees” and that this permission “does not imply risks” for him health status of the national beef rodeo or for the savalanche of Uruguayan consumers.
On the other hand, the head of the MGAP indicated that the country must also “preserve” its commercial current with the outside, so that in the analysis to allow the importation of bone-in meat, “the commitments” that Uruguay assumed with third countries with regard to the various health certificates.
Mattos indicated that he is betting on the importation of quality bone-in meat and that the entry of new agents allows a benefit that the government is also seeking: have a product “more economical and cheaper for the population“.
“This is an important factor because many times the benefit that Uruguay has obtained —by accessing valuable (foreign) markets— is very beneficial for the meat chain (but) it always has the flip side that, if the price of cattle rises, it will make meat more expensive for the domestic consumer,” explained the chief.
In this context, the minister considered that Uruguay should tend to open up the greatest options for importing meat from countries that provide health guarantees and, at the same time, can offer a cheaper protein for the local consumer.
Refrigerators will also be able to import
Mattos reported on a second ministerial resolution that aims to expand the number of agents that are now authorized to import beef since 2004. For example, beef export industries were prevented from importing bone-in and boneless meat to supply the domestic market, limitation that is now lifted. “The imported product must be exclusively segregated and destined for the domestic market,” the minister specified.
The hierarch indicated that the objective is to “expand and make transparent” the market, since with a greater number of agents competition grows and helps the objective of lowering the price of the product available to the population. With this flexibility, Some 40 companies would be authorized to bring beef from Brazil.
According to surveys that the director of Abasto Santa Clara, Jorge López, with suppliers regarding the export price of cuts with bone from the four Brazilian states that would be authorized to enter Uruguay—, the values to the public of popular cuts such as the brisket or roast can go down between 15% and 20% per kg for the consumer. These two cuts would come frozen and in boxes. According to the director of Abasto Santa Clara, a priori, it would not be so much business to import all the chilled half beef from Brazil.
