December 5, 2013

Surpassing whole year targets with a month to go, Brazil's beef exports for the year-to-date have reached a record US$6 billion in November.

According to the country's Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (MAPA), beef export values are now expected to exceed US$6.5 billion in 2013, which would be a 15% on-year increase from the US$5.7 billion recorded last year. Brazil had exported over 1.35 million tonnes of beef to 130 countries this year.

Agriculture Minister Antonio Andrade said that the result demonstrated the confidence of Brazil's trading partners in the quality and safety of Brazilian beef. He also stressed the importance of negotiations with Russia, which recently agreed to lift a ban on Brazilian beef imposed in 2009.

The president of the Brazilian Association of Meat Exporters (ABIEC), Camardelli Antonio, said that expansion of emerging markets, such as Hong Kong, had also driven significant growth. "We also had a significant increase in the negotiations carried out with Venezuela and Middle Eastern countries, including Iran and Israel," he said.

According to data from the USDA, Brazil is the world's biggest beef exporter this year, ahead of India and Australia.

Brazil has intensified its inspection programme to boost exports, which is managed by the Federal Inspection Service (SIF) over recent years. According to the latest data from MAPA, SIF operates in 278 slaughterhouses across Brazil and compliance with animal health standards is around 90.51%.