The reinstatement of the Tacuarembó and San Jacinto meatpacking plants for exports to China could be linked to the general audit that Chinese authorities are planning to conduct of Uruguay’s meat industry in late October or November.
INAC President Gastón Scayola told Valor Agregado that a date for the visit has yet to be confirmed, although Chinese authorities have expressed their willingness to travel to Uruguay and review, together with the Ministry of Livestock, the procedures and measures implemented following the residue findings.
“All of this will be treated as a package,” Scayola said when asked about the reinstatement processes for the two plants. His comments suggest that China will jointly assess the general measures adopted by Uruguay and the responses submitted by the suspended establishments. Therefore, the reinstatement of their approvals could depend on the audit taking place and its outcome.
The Ministry of Livestock confirmed to WBR that there is still no date for the Chinese visit. Uruguayan authorities conveyed “Uruguay’s availability” for the visit to take place whenever convenient for China, but no response has yet been received, Animal Industry Director Diego Rodríguez told WBR.
Tacuarembó was suspended on August 6 following a second detection of imidocarb residues above the permitted limit, while San Jacinto has remained off the approved list since mid-March following the detection of tick-control product residues.
Scayola said it is impossible to estimate when the plants will be reinstated, as China works according to its own timeline and the emergence of new cases can set back the process of rebuilding confidence. “Sometimes one situation complicates the other,” he said.
The INAC president considered the risk of China imposing a countrywide suspension on Uruguay to be “very low,” given the country’s reputation and the procedures that have been implemented. However, he warned that repeated cases could lead Chinese authorities to interpret the issue as a problem involving Uruguay’s overall system rather than individual plants alone.
Scayola said the non-compliances stem from failure to observe veterinary drug withdrawal periods and that suspending meatpacking plants does not, by itself, resolve the problem.
