Today the first container of Uruguayan beef is being loaded for shipment to South Korea, carrying the first 50,000 kilos of meat to be sent there since the market was closed down 13 years ago.
The shipment will leave for Korea next Sunday, but the container has been loaded with 50,000 kilos of chuck and brisket cuts today, in the presence of the South Korean Ambassador to Uruguay, Yeon-Choong Choi, and the Chair of the National Meat Institute (Instituto Nacional de Carnes – INAC), Luis Alfredo Fratti.
South Korea closed its doors to Uruguayan beef after Uruguay was struck with an outbreak of foot and mouth disease, affecting only the Artigas province. This first test of the Korean market for Uruguayan beef is being spearheaded by meat packing company Frigorífico Pando and one of Korea’s leading beef import companies, which has been visiting a number of local plants over recent weeks. The meat is now deboned and aged before shipping, whereas in 2000 it was sold on the bone and with offal.
Frigorífico Pando Commercial Director Eduardo Urgal told El País newspaper that his company was far from the first in moving to open the market. “Importers were coming to Uruguay and leaving again without being able to do any business, so we made a joint effort to make this deal happen. The idea is to start by testing the market, finding a meeting point so that they’re not going home empty handed,” he said.
Urgal believes that South Korea may be an interesting market for the future. Koreans have a long track record of consuming beef.
After Uruguay’s first meat packing plants for the Korean export market were opened in 2012, the country’s goal has been to arrange for a second team of Korean inspectors to visit this year to approve more export plants.
On May 10, the National Meat Institute will organize another tasting session showcasing Uruguayan beef in South Korea, at the Hyatt Hotel, with the support of SolisMeat; their hope is to further promote the product. A Uruguayan chef will travel to Seoul to work with a Korean barbecue expert, demonstrating just how to cook the cuts selected to perfection.
