Beef exports to US kick off
A first for Africa, the process to export beef to the United States has been completed and the first consignment will be sent at the end of this month.
Namibia will at the end of this month become the first country in Africa to export its beef to the lucrative United States market.
This follows a long process of negotiations, legislation and investigations to ensure that the Namibian meat industry, and Meatco specifically, meets all the standards.
On 13 July 2016, Namibia was listed in the United States Code of Federal Regulations as eligible to export meat products to the United States. However, the process began almost six years ago.
The exports to the US were hindered by pending labelling approvals for Meatco's products, following a public health and assurance audit by the US via the Food Safety and Inspection Services (FSIS).
According to the Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU), Meatco is expected to send its first consignment of beef to the US at the end of July.
“Namibia is the first country in Africa to do this. Although approval for exports was granted in 2016 already, labelling for exports had to comply with US requirements first,” said the union.
Meatco previously said that under the final approval agreements, it will be exporting boneless raw beef products like prime cuts and beef trimmings as well as chuck and blade.
According to Meatco this also means that it can export both chilled and frozen boneless meat (excluding offal) to that country.
“The strategy for this particular market is to target the fast food industry and franchises like Mc Donald's, to provide maximum returns for Meatco and its producers.”
According to Meatco, this is another niche market that has opened, giving Meatco more options to maximise returns for producers. The additional market gives Meatco the opportunity to streamline its cuts and make sure it positions the right product, in the right market at the right time.
In the past, Namibia projected the potential volume of meat exports to the United States to be as much as 860 000 kg in the first year after the ruling's enactment, increasing to as much as 5.7 million kg in five years.
ELLANIE SMIT
This follows a long process of negotiations, legislation and investigations to ensure that the Namibian meat industry, and Meatco specifically, meets all the standards.
On 13 July 2016, Namibia was listed in the United States Code of Federal Regulations as eligible to export meat products to the United States. However, the process began almost six years ago.
The exports to the US were hindered by pending labelling approvals for Meatco's products, following a public health and assurance audit by the US via the Food Safety and Inspection Services (FSIS).
According to the Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU), Meatco is expected to send its first consignment of beef to the US at the end of July.
“Namibia is the first country in Africa to do this. Although approval for exports was granted in 2016 already, labelling for exports had to comply with US requirements first,” said the union.
Meatco previously said that under the final approval agreements, it will be exporting boneless raw beef products like prime cuts and beef trimmings as well as chuck and blade.
According to Meatco this also means that it can export both chilled and frozen boneless meat (excluding offal) to that country.
“The strategy for this particular market is to target the fast food industry and franchises like Mc Donald's, to provide maximum returns for Meatco and its producers.”
According to Meatco, this is another niche market that has opened, giving Meatco more options to maximise returns for producers. The additional market gives Meatco the opportunity to streamline its cuts and make sure it positions the right product, in the right market at the right time.
In the past, Namibia projected the potential volume of meat exports to the United States to be as much as 860 000 kg in the first year after the ruling's enactment, increasing to as much as 5.7 million kg in five years.
ELLANIE SMIT
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