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The Chilean Food and Beverages Industry:
MEAT AND POULTRY

 
Chile is one of the few countries in the world that are free from all major animal diseases that limit trade in animal products. This privileged sanitary condition –together with a strict compliance with international standards and food safety regulations— allows the Chilean meat and poultry industry to achieve high quality standards and tasty natural products.

Chile’s animal health status is unique in the hemisphere and quite exceptional internationally. Chile is free from all major animal diseases, including Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE). It is also free from avian flu and has stringent health barriers in place to keep it out.

Chile currently exports numerous pork, beef, lamb and poultry products to more than 50 different countries. Sales have grown in value from $86 million dollars in 2000 to more than $560 million in 2006.

  Beef: 

Chile is classified as a country that is free of all major animal diseases, according to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), and there have been no cases of BSE.

In 2006, beef exports rose to $35 million dollars. The main destination markets are Mexico, Japan, Germany, and the United Kingdom, all countries with high quality standards.

  Lamb:

The largest lamb meat producing farms are located in the southernmost area of Chile, near the Strait of Magellan and Tierra del Fuego Island (Chilean Patagonia). This area is characterized by vast and unpolluted natural prairies that offer clean water, free from agrochemicals. The cold weather, isolation and extensive operations where no growth stimulants are used, guarantee that the meat will be tender and lean and make it readily accepted in international markets.

Lamb meat from Chile complies with the requirements demanded by most modern consumers, namely a low fat content coupled with the supply of a series of proteins. 

Chile also produces a broad range of products such as small lamb carcasses, offals, bone-in or boneless fresh or frozen lamb meat cuts, vacuum packed or packed with film, in layers or blocks and in cardboard boxes of different sizes.

Pork:

Pork production has experienced an outstanding growth over the last decade, with an increase of around 9.3 % annually. In 2006, 4,741,527 pigs were slaughtered, producing 467,866 tons of pork meat on the carcass.

The concentration and vertical integration of the industry enables it to benefit from scale economies and to achieve competitive prices in both national and foreign markets. In turn, the vertical integration ensures the quality and optimization of all processes and a high level of product traceability. 

Today, 59% of the production of pork meat is destined for national consumption; however, the industry forecasts, in the next few years, to balance this participation by exporting.
 
This exporting project is oriented at satisfying highly demanding international markets, by elaborating products with higher added value that privilege quality, safety and taste.
 
Today, Chile has recorded a sustained growth in pork meat exports, with average increases of 38% annually over the last four years, reaching highly demanding markets such as Japan, South Korea, Mexico and the European Union, among others. The industry aims to reach US$654 million in exports by 2010.
 

Chile’s geographic isolation grants it a privileged condition in animal health. This situation, together with the permanent effort of the Agricultural and Livestock Service (SAG) and that of the industry, ensures the country is free of all diseases that affect the pork meat trade. 

The pork industry, constantly expanding, carries out heavy investments in order to improve the quality of its products and the control of its production processes, which conform to the needs and demands of its buyers. Production is based on strict quality standards that satisfy the requirements of each buyer.

The Ministry of Agriculture, through the Agricultural and Livestock Service (SAG), is the Sanitary Authority in charge of inspecting and certifying the compliance of the integral system of quality control, which is based on enforcementprocedures and regulations.

The brand image, CHILE PORK – Safe & Tasty- aims to promote Chilean pork meat worldwide. CHILE PORK certifies the characteristics, in particular the qualities, taste and origin, of the products.

 


Poultry: 

Poultry production is concentrated in the central valley where mild weather conditions and a healthy environment are ideal for poultry breeding. Likewise, it is concentrated at the industrial level, with only 8 companies operating across the country. Each one of these companies is present at every stage of the production chain, including hatching, breeding, processing and distribution, whereby a high level of product traceability is ensured.
 
In 2006, Chile produced 613,757 tons of poultry meat, of which 84% accounted for broiler chicken, 15% for turkey and 1% for other birds. During the last decade, production has undergone extraordinary growth, with increases of 6.3% annually.
 
Of the total meat consumed on a national level, 45% corresponds to chicken and turkey meat. Chicken meat constitutes the highest consumption per capita, with almost 28 kilos annually per capita while turkey products reach near to 3.9 kilos. Turkey consumption has experienced an increase of 88.5% over the last 10 years. This growth is explained by the sector’s improvement in production efficiency which has resulted in process and product quality.
 
Today, poultry exports have recorded strong growth over the last years, with average increases of 35% annually over the last five years, reaching highly demanding markets such as Mexico, the European Union, China and Japan, among others. The industry aims to reach US$308 million in exports by 2010.
 
This exporting project is oriented at satisfying highly demanding international markets, by elaborating products with higher added value that privilege quality, safety and taste.
 
The geographic isolation of Chile grants it a privileged condition in animal health. This situation, together with the permanent effort of the Agricultural and Livestock Service (SAG) and that of the industry, ensures the country is free of all diseases that affect the poultry trade.
 
The poultry industry, constantly expanding, carries out heavy investments in order to improve product quality and the control of its production processes, which conform to the needs and demands of its buyers. Production is based on strict quality standards that satisfy the requirements of each buyer.
 
The Ministry of Agriculture, through the Agricultural and Livestock Service (SAG), is the Sanitary Authority in charge of inspecting and certifying the compliance of the integral system of quality control, which is based on enforcementprocedures and regulations.
 

Chile Poultry, Tasty & Healthy, is the certification seal that guarantees the processing, service and product quality of member companies, ensuring that a healthy and tasty product reaches the consumer.

 




Poultry Producers and Trade Association



Pork Producers and Trade Association



Chilean Meat Processors and Meat Packers Association