Pilot shipment of beef to the US by air is carried out

The Frigomerc plant, in Paraguay, owned by Minerva Foods, yesterday made its first shipment of beef by air to the USA through Avianca’s flight AV212.

The cargo departed from Silvio Pettirossi Airport at 08:05 local time, destined for Bogotá, from where it departed again at 22:55 on flight AV008, to finally arrive around 03:00 today in Miami.

José Carlos Martin, head of the National Service of Quality and Animal Health (Senacsa), told Última Hora that less than 100 kilograms of meat were sent, as the air shipment is still in a trial mode within the export process.

Frigomerc is one of nine plants authorized by the US to export protein and was also the first to carry out shipments of the product to this market.

Meanwhile, Frigorífico Concepción, which also started shipments to the US, plans to make its first air exports this Sunday, January 7, as reported by the firm’s press area.

After a long process that began in 2021 and years of waiting, the reconquest of the demanding US market was officially confirmed again on November 9 with the authorization of Paraguayan meat, confirming that it meets the high standards and regulations required.

According to Senacsa’s head, they project to export 10,000 tons of local protein this first year.

The main destinations for the meat are currently Chile, Taiwan, Brazil, and Russia, with plans to access markets in Canada, Japan, Korea, and Mexico soon.

As of the end of 2023, Paraguay’s bovine population is 13,486,617, distributed in different departments of the country, but mostly concentrated in the Paraguayan Chaco region.

According to Senacsa, the slaughter of cattle for export fell by 4.7% during 2023, totaling 2,021,261 animals slaughtered, down from 2,120,589 in 2022, which also saw a 2.7% decrease from the previous year.

In 2023, the highest number of slaughters occurred in August with 212,654, while September saw the lowest with only 69,300.

In terms of calf production, the last year closed with just over 2,700,000, but for 2024, a record production of 2,815,000 is projected, especially driven by climatic conditions, according to Senacsa.

Translated from: Última Hora – Paraguay