British producers and exporters visit Chile and celebrate the pork industry’s successful model

A meeting with British representatives was organized by ChilePork and the British Embassy in Chile to exchange experiences and best practices between both countries.

Thanks to several meetings at Agrosuper and Maxagro’s headquarters, and a visit to Agrosuper’s Skyview at the Rosario slaughter plant (O’Higgins Region), producers and exporters from British organizations were able to learn more about the Chilean pork industry, its production, and trade. In turn, representatives from the local industry learned more about the sector’s operation in the United Kingdom.

The British delegation was headed by Tracy Barker-Street, Trade Director of the British Embassy in Chile; Joseph Insull and Louis Butler, representatives of the United Kingdom Farmers and Livestock Producers’ Trade Association; and Susana Sanz Berry, representative of the UK’s Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board. The Chilean pork industry was represented by Rodrigo Castañón, ChileCarne Business Manager; John Lüer, Agrosuper’s International Sales Manager; and Jorge Rozas, Maxagro’s Business Manager.

“We are very happy to be here and be able to obtain such interesting information. Relations between Chile and the United Kingdom are particularly important for us. We have a close relationship and there are many opportunities for deepening it further. I think Agrosuper is an amazing company both because of its products and its commitment to the community and Chilean society. I am very happy to continue our relationship with these companies,” said Tracy Barker-Street.

On behalf of ChileCarne, Rodrigo Castañón highlighted that “on the one hand, they want to learn more about Chile’s situation as a potential destination for their exports, but they are also interested in the successful production and exporting model Chile has implemented. At the same time, it is useful for us to learn more about pork production in the UK, its challenges and trends because it is a market that might be interesting for us.”

Jorge Rozas from Maxagro added: “We received a visit from fellow producers from the United Kingdom. It was a very interesting meeting where we exchanged a lot of information about pork production, the latest trends in the European Union and the United Kingdom in particular on pork production, processes, and markets. It was a meeting where we were able to share how we see the pork market in the future from different points of view.”

Agrosuper’s representative, John Lüer stressed the importance of showing what Chile is doing and exchanging experiences. “Once again, we are hosting pork producers from all over the world, in this case from England, with representatives from Cranswick and Pilgrim’s UK (…) The UK is a relevant market for us after Brexit, because it allows us to have a direct relationship with the island and not just with the European Union. They were impressed to see how Agrosuper, a vertically integrated company, manages all the production stages from feed, genetics, production, and cleaning, to health. The entire production process of the animals up to the cuts, and their worldwide distribution through our offices abroad.”

During the visit to Agrosuper, Louis Butler, Cranswick’s representative, highlighted the two-way focus of the visit. “Our purpose in visiting Chile is to diversify our export markets, but also to look for other potential opportunities. Visiting facilities like these, and a company with a similar vision to ours, gives us a good idea of what else is out there,” he said.

Joe Insull, from Pilgrim’s UK, added, “we came from the United Kingdom to see the Chilean market up close and learn more about vertically integrated companies with high social awareness. We are eager to learn from such relevant processes.” Insull also highlighted the importance of the relations built between both countries over the years that now, with a better outlook after the Covid pandemic, could be strengthened even further.