Uruguay prepares for EU audit
Uruguay’s ministry of husbandry, agriculture and fisheries has started preparing for an audit of the country's beef production chain by EU specialists next March. The EU is the main importer of Uruguayan high-value beef cuts.
The last sanitary audit undertaken by EU technicians in Uruguay took place in 2007 and ended with just four 'mild' observations compared with 14 'important' recommendations made in 2004.
The European specialists will not only check advances in the fight against foot-and-mouth and mad-cow disease, it will also audit cattle farms and the 23+ facilities used to process beef for export.
Besides the compulsory traceability imposed by the authorities to all cattle since 2006 and the significant increase in the number of veterinary doctors working in the public animal health sector, one important development has been the upgrade of the Miguel Rubino veterinary test laboratory which is now ISO 17025 certified and will soon be ISO 9001 accredited.
US and Canadian specialists will also undertake audits after the European audit has been completed.
