Mexico and Argentina step up food trade to fight inflation

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development announced that in order to expand the sources of supply of beef to the Mexican market and have a positive impact on price containment, the National Service for Agri-Food HEALTH, Safety and Quality (Senasica) issued a list of veterinary requirements for the import of boneless and mature MEAT on January 10 from Argentina.

Secretariat Chief Executive Francisco Javier Calderon Elizalde held a meeting with the Argentine Ambassador to Mexico, Carlos Alfonso Tomada, where he stressed the importance of issuing the Sanitation Sheet, which is part of the efforts undertaken by the governments of both countries to increase the commercial exchange of agri-food products for the benefit of producers and consumers.

The Mexican official stressed that there is a history of technical and scientific cooperation with Argentina's National Agro-Food Health and Quality Service (SENASA) on a variety of plant and animal health issues, making them safe and effective.

He explained that through various protocols such as risk analysis, Senasica technicians quickly and efficiently predict the likelihood of entry, establishment and spread of pests and diseases present in other latitudes, thereby protecting the countryside and Mexican livestock. 

He also explained that with these criteria, meat imports are homologated by countries with a sanitary status similar to that of Mexico, such as the US and CANADA. Thus, according to him, the transaction costs of imports are reduced and the sources of supplies of meat products are expanding in Mexico, which seeks to contain the rise in food prices.

For his part, the South American diplomat agreed that the two countries complement each other as their climatic differences stimulate the exchange of healthy and safe goods for the benefit of consumers.

He assured that the current commercial environment, which is becoming more competitive, requires the authorities to be extremely careful in managing commercial protocols, and in this sense, Mexico and Argentina have received international recognition for their work in the field of health.