Chile lifts US beef restrictions
05/04/2011
Ms Daily said: “Chile, like many other countries, had a 30-month age restriction on imports of US beef. It has been removed so exporters no longer need an export verification programme for Chile and they’re able simply to ship all products to that market. Chile is by far the largest beef importing country in South America and we have a free trade agreement, so it’s also attractive in that sense.”
US beef exports to Chile more than tripled last year to $6.2 million, while Chile's total beef imports from all sources topped $700 million. Most of this beef comes from countries in the region, notably Argentina and Brazil. However, Australia’s earnings from beef exports to Chile are much higher than the US’s until now. Last year Australia exported 4,600 tonnes of beef to Chile last year, doubling exports from the year before.
With improved market access and with South American beef supplies being very tight, Erin Daley projects that US exports to Chile could reach 4,000 tonnes in 2011, from 1,490 tonnes last year. She said the export value of the higher volume would exceed $22 million.
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