Processors at the cutting edge
Processors at the cutting edge
BEEF processing in Brazil is not the half-hearted effort that many imagine, with some plants having sophisticated equipment and being able to fulfil exporters needs.
One company, Bertin, which runs seven abattoir and processing plants in Brazil, is a key example. Its largest plant, at Lins in Sao Paulo state, kills 1000 cattle a day, and sells primal cuts, cooked frozen beef, offals, canned meats such as corned beef and stewed steak and beef extract.
Cattle – mainly steers – are killed at 245-250kg deadweight, and batch numbers follow the carcass through the plant from start to primal cut. More than 20 government inspectors are employed to ensure all stock meets sanitary standards, and EU legislation is followed through all processes.
About 120 cattle an hour are processed, and such a high throughput means there are 84 people employed in the slaughter room, and 400 people work in the boning room, split between two, eight hour shifts. After boning and packing, primal cuts of beef are aged for 15 days in a completely automated ageing room with a capacity of 500t – the only one of its kind in South America.
Willingness to meet exporters and buyers requirements means Bertin now accounts for about a quarter of all Brazils beef exports, last year exporting 66,000t with a value of £123m. Of that total, 32,000t was exported to the EU, with a value of £70m.
Within the EU, Bertins largest export is fresh beef, followed by corned beef (90% of which comes to the UK) and frozen cooked beef.
The plant is already audited and approved by Sainsbury, and is approved by auditors who work on behalf of Tesco and Asda among other retailers. It also exports meat to wholesalers supplying catering and restaurant trades. *