Uruguay
Uruguay Agreed to Seek China’s Approval for a Partial Transfer of Its Meat Quota, and Lula Thanked Orsi
Brazil and Australia asked to use part of Uruguay’s beef export quota to China that would not be used this year. According to Deputy Foreign Minister Valeria Csukasi, as explained to Búsqueda, the final decision depends on Chinese authorities.
Uruguay’s president, Yamandú Orsi, began his official agenda in the United States this Monday and held a meeting with his Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. After that meeting, Lula thanked the authorization linked to the use of part of the surplus in Uruguay’s quota to export beef to China.
According to Búsqueda, Deputy Foreign Minister Valeria Csukasi said that months ago Brazil and Australia asked Uruguay to access the portion of the quota that would not be used this year, as both countries are close to filling their own quotas. In that context, the Uruguayan government agreed to raise before China the possibility of ceding part of that volume.
Csukasi told Búsqueda that Uruguay has used 31% of its 2026 quota and stressed that the final decision is not in Montevideo’s hands, but in China’s, which allocates and administers those contingents. She also clarified that the discussion covers only part of the quota corresponding to this year and that tons will still remain available for the Uruguayan industry.
According to the deputy foreign minister, this eventual transfer does not affect the future use of the quota assigned to the country. She added that 2026 is a particular year because of international prices, product shortages and other factors that, together with the new quota with the European Union, make it likely that Uruguay will not fill the Chinese quota.
Minister of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries Alfredo Fratti told Búsqueda from Rome that he was not aware of the matter and said it would be news to him.
In the bilateral exchange, Lula said on X that he and Orsi discussed Latin American and Caribbean integration, political extremism, disinformation, infrastructure and agricultural trade. He also expressed interest in Uruguay’s regulation of online betting and mentioned the intention to meet again to advance border integration projects, including the binational bridge over the Yaguarón River.
Orsi, for his part, wrote on X that he and Lula reviewed an agenda focused on trade, shared infrastructure, productive development, integration and sports betting. In that post, he made no reference to the meat quota.
Sources
About this note. Written by El Notero with the assistance of artificial intelligence, based on what was published by the cited outlet. El Notero did not conduct its own reporting on this event.
