MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Paraguay cleared to ship beef on the bone to Israel

Sheep meat may too be exported soon to Israel, it was explained

Paraguay has been authorized by Israel's Veterinary and Animal Health Service (IVSAH) to sell beef on the bone to that country, the National Animal Health and Quality Service (Senacsa) announced Sunday in Asunción. Uruguay Israel's approval on Jan. 8.

The clearance was issued after an Israeli mission vetted Paraguay's beef production facilities and the South American country was certified by the World Organization for Animal Health to be free of foot-and-mouth disease through vaccination.

“This authorization by Israel represents a historic event for Paraguay since it implies full recognition of its sanitary status and, in turn, constitutes a great opportunity to expand export possibilities for more meat products, leaving a relevant precedent for access to other markets for this type of products,” a Senacsa statement read.

Israel was already among the more than 50 markets authorized for Paraguayan meat and even positioned itself in 2023 as the fifth destination for local protein. Now it is accredited for the sale of bone-in meat to Israel.

According to Senacsa data, from January to December 2023, 10,037,836 kilograms of beef were exported to Israel, representing US$ 55,849,073 in sales. In giblets, Israel is the fourteenth largest buyer of Paraguay, with 604,763 kilograms shipped worth US$ 1,424,975.

Senacsa Chief José Carlos Martín underlined that the new authorization “opens the possibility of exporting sheep meat as well, since in sheep the noble cuts are the cuts with bone. 95% of the meat exported from sheep in the world is meat on the bone.”

The new authorization adds to recent reports showing an increase in the volume of Paraguayan beef and pork sales to the Taiwanese market less than a year after it was first authorized. Taiwan has positioned itself as the main buyer of Paraguayan pork.