The demand and interest in carbon neutral meat of Uruguay continues to grow, and this product will be important for the future of the national meat industry based on the development that is projected for 2024. In that sense, the first shipments to South Koreaconsultations have now been added from Japan, Therefore, the Asian market is positioned as a preferred and high-value destination for this variety of meats.
The carbon neutral meat, that is, a carbon-neutral grass-fed livestock product, is receiving more and more interest from potential buyers around the world, along with other types of certifications such as, for example, animal welfare. With increasing awareness in these aspects, Uruguay It is making its way into a new market segment in which, for the moment, Asian countries, with high demands and high value, are predominant; although Swiss It is also among the important destinations.
In this regard, last year shipments of these meats to South Korea began, through Golden Sun Meat HQBproperty of the exporter Mosaica SA This year, the company already made the first shipment of cuts — 16 portioned cuts with various certified attributes, Angus, Never Ever 3, Grass Fed, Animal Welfare and Neutral carbon—as reported by the general manager Sebastian Olaso Aguirre to Rurales El País. “It is a promising market and it is firm, as well as with a lot of movement. “It is a niche destination and very particular in the sense that it does not have price variations,” he highlighted.
Now, Japan is positioned as a potential new partner in this growing market. “There are prospects for entering with carbon neutral cuts in Japan,” Olaso said within a larger set of consultations with the start of 2024.
“There are several countries that are consulted about carbon neutral meat and there are more consultations since Europe also for cuts with other certified attributes and protocols such as Never Ever (free of antibiotics), animal welfare, etc.,” he added, although he mainly highlighted the growing interest in “several Asian countries.”
Mercosur also approaches Japan
The trade of Mercosur could expand to Asian lands, beyond China, with the negotiations held by the president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula de Silvawith the prime minister of Japan, Fumio Kishida.
The Brazilian government announced the start of talks with Japan, with the aim of advancing a trade agreement between the Asian country and the Mercosur, in the midst of what appears to be a strategy to begin expanding the map of negotiations towards other partners, after the agreement with the EU will not come to fruition with the end of the year.
In this sense, and according to the official statement, Lula received a phone call from Kishida, in which they also spoke “about strengthening the strategic and commercial partnership between Brazil and Japan, the Brazilian presidency of the G-20 and cooperation between the two countries in multilateral forums in favor of peace, democracy and overcoming poverty.
The news is positive in terms of a new market that is opening up for the region, although, for example, Uruguay already maintains bilateral trade exchanges with this country, mainly bovine tongue —Since the end of 2022, fresh bovine tongue has been exported, in addition to the cooked variety, a product of which the Asian nation is the main importer in the world.
However, a regional trade agreement could mean advantages for the country since, currently, it does not have any Tariff preference, and the default rate for beef is 12.8%. In that sense, the negotiations led by Lula could also mean the export cost reduction for Uruguayan producers.
Source: Ambito
