PRODUCTION
FROM FRESH SEAFOOD to a cut of steak , consumers love meat . According to recent statistics , the average person consumes around 41.9 kg of meat per year . But where does that meat come from ? Increasingly , it ’ s South America . The meat processing industry in Brazil and Latin America is booming , and new investments mean that growth is only on the rise .
Beefing up the meat export industry With its acres upon acres of green land , it ’ s no surprise that beef production is king in South America — particularly in Brazil . Home to production and processing giants like JBS , it ’ s reported that as much as one out of every five pounds of beef in the world comes from Brazilian cattle . The industry has been driving growth over the past decade — according to Brazil ’ s beef sector , Brazilian beef represents a $ 5 billion industry and productivity in heads per hectare has grown 25 percent in the past ten years .
Brazil is far from being the only country in South America ramping up its beef production . Uruguay in particular is a rising star in the red meat industry . Sandwiched between
IMAGE CREDIT : ALF RIBEIRO - SHUTTERSTOCK . COM
A Cattle farm in Sao Paulo , Brazil
Brazil and Argentina , two countries known for their ranching industries , this should come as little surprise . In May , Global Meat News reported that Uruguay increased its beef and meat by-product exports by 16 percent volume compared to the year before .
2015 was an especially interesting year for the beef industry in Brazil and Argentina : a whole new market opened up as the United States Department of Agriculture allowed for fresh chilled or frozen beef to be imported from these countries for the
8 October 2015