Uruguay is a small beef-exporting country. It is located between Argentina and Brazil, both of which rank among the world's largest beef producers and exporters. Uruguay has approximately 57,000 agricultural/livestock operations, of which 29,000 (52%) are pasture-based beef and sheep ranches. Of these, about 19,000 specialize in breeding (cow-calf operations), 6,000 are calf-to-beef type operations, and 4,000 specialize in finishing. Over half the ranches are classified as family farms with less than 200 acres, while another quarter are considered transitional farms with less than 900 but more than 200 acres. About 5% are farms of over 3,500 acres (MGAP-DIEA, 2005).
In 1995, the World Organization for Animal Health declared Uruguay free of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). This status was lost temporarily in December 2000 but was regained in May 2003. The country prohibits the import of live animals and/or genetic material from countries affected by FMD or other exotic diseases. Uruguay is also classified in the lowest possible risk category for bovine spongiform encephalopathy.
Uruguay's new sanitary status opened its access to several important markets, which until then had been closed to the country's noncooked beef exports. Fueled by improved market access, exports became even more important to the economy. In 2005, meat exports accounted for about 26% of the total value of Uruguayan exports, with beef accounting for 22%.
Uruguay beef serves as an example of one industry's effort to obtain international certification for its grass-fed beef production system. Certification, in conjunction with Uruguay's already highly developed cattle identification and tracking system (the DICOSE system), is viewed as central in the development of a national brand image for Uruguayan beef, analogous to that associated with New Zealand lamb.
Industry Expansion
Uruguayan beef production expanded following the achievement of FMD-free status in 1995. Expansion was facilitated by a significant decline in sheep numbers due to falling wool prices. Sheep numbers declined from 26 million in 1991 to 10.8 million in 2005. As of June 30, 2005, the cattle inventory was at a record high of 11.95 million head. Slaughter rose to a record 2.39 million head in 2005, almost triple the levels registered in 1990.
Beef exports grew because of improved market access, productivity gains, and small and decreasing domestic consumption. Exports averaged 138,000 metric tons, carcass weight, from 1990 to 1994—about 40% of total production. Between 1995 and 2000, exports jumped to an average of 232,000 metric tons, accounting for about 60% of production in 2000. In 2005, exports reached a record 478,699 metric tons carcass weight (equivalent to 292,248 metric tons shipped weight), accounting for 80% of beef production, and only 15% was exported chilled. Chilled exports have increased in the last three years, as most organic and natural beef is shipped as chilled. Normally, frozen beef is mixed with U.S. beef to increase its leanness. There is no difference in quality between frozen and chilled beef.
Notwithstanding the dramatic growth in exports, Uruguay still supplies only around 5% of the approximately 6 million metric tons of beef traded internationally, although beef represents 75% of total Uruguayan production. In recent years, the United States has become the largest export market for Uruguayan beef, accounting for 52% and 76% of total tonnage of beef exports in 2004 and 2005, respectively. The market share decreased in 2006 due to increased demand from Russia in the first six months of 2006. Other major markets include Canada, European Union (EU) countries (United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, and Portugal), Israel, Russia, and Mercosur members (Argentina, Brazil, and Chile).
Beef exports to the United States are regulated by a World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiated tariff rate quota (TRQ) currently set at 20,000 metric tons per annum for chilled and frozen beef, as shown in Figure 1. Exports within the quota are subject to a nominal fixed tariff of 4.4¢ per kilogram (approximately 2¢ per pound), while above-quota exports are subject to an ad valorem tariff of 26.4%. Between 1995 and 2002, exports to the United States were generally limited by the quota. However, between 2003 and 2005, tight beef supplies and higher prices in the United States led to a significant increase in U.S. imports from Uruguay (nearly 210,000 metric tons in 2005). The above-quota imports, on which the 26.4% tariff was paid, consisted primarily of lower-quality beef destined for the hamburger market. The structure of the U.S. market for Uruguayan beef has also changed in recent years. Between 2001 and 2004, the number of U.S. importers handling Uruguayan beef increased from 29 to 67, while the share for the top five importers fell from 86% to 56%.
The DICOSE Traceability System
In 1973, the Uruguayan government created the División de Controlar de Semovientes, today known as DICOSE, within the Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture, and Fisheries, to account for domestic animal stocks and movements (Marshall, Boland, & Conforte, 2002). The objective was to curtail smuggling and help with the eradication of FMD. Under the DICOSE system, farmers are given a code consisting of a region number, a police station number, and a farm number. Every time an animal is moved, bought, or sold, the movement must be recorded and the animal accompanied by its paperwork. The system is similar to having a passport. Police sign all sales documentation, with copies going to the seller, the buyer, the Ministry, and the police. Ministry inspectors check all trucks and documentation at each slaughter plant before unloading. Farmers are audited at random every year, and they must present an annual animal stock balance.
With DICOSE, Uruguay was one of the first countries in the world to be able to trace animals back to their origins, and the Ministry could use the system to ensure that farmers and slaughter plants were complying with sanitary requirements. Once animals reach the carcass disassembly stage, however, it is virtually impossible to track each cut because of multiple cutting lines in most plants. Thus, while an individual cut cannot be traced back to an individual animal, it can be traced to a specific lot number. A system that would maintain individual identity for each animal as it moves through the carcass disassembly stage would be costly to implement, and there are currently no economic incentives for such a system. However, processors are now projecting plant layouts capable of tracing each individual cut in the deboning line. Some plants already provide this service for specific European consumers.
In September of 2006, Uruguay began a mandatory individual cattle traceability program. All animals born in September 2006 or later must be ear tagged (one visual tag and one radio frequency identification tag) for traceability purposes. The basic components of the Sistema de Indentificacíon y Registro Animal (Animal Identification and Record System) are
Uruguay is a small beef-exporting country. It is located between Argentina and Brazil, both of which rank among the world's largest beef producers and exporters. Uruguay has approximately 57,000 agricultural/livestock operations, of which 29,000 (52%) are pasture-based beef and sheep ranches. Of these, about 19,000 specialize in breeding (cow-calf operations), 6,000 are calf-to-beef type operations, and 4,000 specialize in finishing. Over half the ranches are classified as family farms with less than 200 acres, while another quarter are considered transitional farms with less than 900 but more than 200 acres. About 5% are farms of over 3,500 acres (MGAP-DIEA, 2005).
In 1995, the World Organization for Animal Health declared Uruguay free of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). This status was lost temporarily in December 2000 but was regained in May 2003. The country prohibits the import of live animals and/or genetic material from countries affected by FMD or other exotic diseases. Uruguay is also classified in the lowest possible risk category for bovine spongiform encephalopathy.
Uruguay's new sanitary status opened its access to several important markets, which until then had been closed to the country's noncooked beef exports. Fueled by improved market access, exports became even more important to the economy. In 2005, meat exports accounted for about 26% of the total value of Uruguayan exports, with beef accounting for 22%.
Uruguay beef serves as an example of one industry's effort to obtain international certification for its grass-fed beef production system. Certification, in conjunction with Uruguay's already highly developed cattle identification and tracking system (the DICOSE system), is viewed as central in the development of a national brand image for Uruguayan beef, analogous to that associated with New Zealand lamb.
Industry Expansion
Uruguayan beef production expanded following the achievement of FMD-free status in 1995. Expansion was facilitated by a significant decline in sheep numbers due to falling wool prices. Sheep numbers declined from 26 million in 1991 to 10.8 million in 2005. As of June 30, 2005, the cattle inventory was at a record high of 11.95 million head. Slaughter rose to a record 2.39 million head in 2005, almost triple the levels registered in 1990.
Beef exports grew because of improved market access, productivity gains, and small and decreasing domestic consumption. Exports averaged 138,000 metric tons, carcass weight, from 1990 to 1994—about 40% of total production. Between 1995 and 2000, exports jumped to an average of 232,000 metric tons, accounting for about 60% of production in 2000. In 2005, exports reached a record 478,699 metric tons carcass weight (equivalent to 292,248 metric tons shipped weight), accounting for 80% of beef production, and only 15% was exported chilled. Chilled exports have increased in the last three years, as most organic and natural beef is shipped as chilled. Normally, frozen beef is mixed with U.S. beef to increase its leanness. There is no difference in quality between frozen and chilled beef.
Notwithstanding the dramatic growth in exports, Uruguay still supplies only around 5% of the approximately 6 million metric tons of beef traded internationally, although beef represents 75% of total Uruguayan production. In recent years, the United States has become the largest export market for Uruguayan beef, accounting for 52% and 76% of total tonnage of beef exports in 2004 and 2005, respectively. The market share decreased in 2006 due to increased demand from Russia in the first six months of 2006. Other major markets include Canada, European Union (EU) countries (United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, and Portugal), Israel, Russia, and Mercosur members (Argentina, Brazil, and Chile).
Beef exports to the United States are regulated by a World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiated tariff rate quota (TRQ) currently set at 20,000 metric tons per annum for chilled and frozen beef, as shown in Figure 1. Exports within the quota are subject to a nominal fixed tariff of 4.4¢ per kilogram (approximately 2¢ per pound), while above-quota exports are subject to an ad valorem tariff of 26.4%. Between 1995 and 2002, exports to the United States were generally limited by the quota. However, between 2003 and 2005, tight beef supplies and higher prices in the United States led to a significant increase in U.S. imports from Uruguay (nearly 210,000 metric tons in 2005). The above-quota imports, on which the 26.4% tariff was paid, consisted primarily of lower-quality beef destined for the hamburger market. The structure of the U.S. market for Uruguayan beef has also changed in recent years. Between 2001 and 2004, the number of U.S. importers handling Uruguayan beef increased from 29 to 67, while the share for the top five importers fell from 86% to 56%.
The DICOSE Traceability System
In 1973, the Uruguayan government created the División de Controlar de Semovientes, today known as DICOSE, within the Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture, and Fisheries, to account for domestic animal stocks and movements (Marshall, Boland, & Conforte, 2002). The objective was to curtail smuggling and help with the eradication of FMD. Under the DICOSE system, farmers are given a code consisting of a region number, a police station number, and a farm number. Every time an animal is moved, bought, or sold, the movement must be recorded and the animal accompanied by its paperwork. The system is similar to having a passport. Police sign all sales documentation, with copies going to the seller, the buyer, the Ministry, and the police. Ministry inspectors check all trucks and documentation at each slaughter plant before unloading. Farmers are audited at random every year, and they must present an annual animal stock balance.
With DICOSE, Uruguay was one of the first countries in the world to be able to trace animals back to their origins, and the Ministry could use the system to ensure that farmers and slaughter plants were complying with sanitary requirements. Once animals reach the carcass disassembly stage, however, it is virtually impossible to track each cut because of multiple cutting lines in most plants. Thus, while an individual cut cannot be traced back to an individual animal, it can be traced to a specific lot number. A system that would maintain individual identity for each animal as it moves through the carcass disassembly stage would be costly to implement, and there are currently no economic incentives for such a system. However, processors are now projecting plant layouts capable of tracing each individual cut in the deboning line. Some plants already provide this service for specific European consumers.
In September of 2006, Uruguay began a mandatory individual cattle traceability program. All animals born in September 2006 or later must be ear tagged (one visual tag and one radio frequency identification tag) for traceability purposes. The basic components of the Sistema de Indentificacíon y Registro Animal (Animal Identification and Record System) are
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