MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Uruguayan meat processing plant may resume shipments to China after labelling incident in April

Foreign Minister Bustillo was instrumental in the lifting of the sanctions

The Uruguayan BPU meat processing plant has been cleared to resume exports to China as of July 1 after it was banned April 9 due to a mislabelled shipment, it was announced Thursday.

The lifting of the sanctions brought relief to BPU, who allocates 70% of its output to that market.

BPU's sales to China had been suspended on April 9, when an error was found by the Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries in the labeling of the boxes, which led to the dismissal of of two officials and somehow added to the cauases of removal of Livestock Minister Carlos Uriarte earlier this week.

Foreign Minister Francisco Bustillo made the announcement Thursday in what he viewed as an example of the good relations between Uruguay and China, since it normally takes six months to lift such a suspension and in this case it was achieved in only two and a half months.

Since BPU can begin to operate immediately, 810 company employees may now return to their jobs also another 6,000 people who were involved indirectly in the chain of supply may now recover their livelihoods.

Bustillo met on June 29 with the Chinese ambassador in Montevideo, Wang Gang, to discuss this issue, after visiting BPU's facilities in the department (province) of Durazno where he held talks with plant managers and the workers' union leaders.

Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou Sunday has sacked Uriarte and National Meat Institute head Fernando Mattos as his successor.

Uriarte's leadership at the Ministry had been dented by the labelling incident for which two of his closes aides had been fired - veterinarians Eduardo Barre, director of the General Directorate of Animal Health, and Gustavo Rossi, in charge of the Directorate of the Animal Industry Division.