Brazilian Lamb Meat to Get Good Quality Seal

Brazilian consumers of lamb meat in the southernmost Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul and throughout Brazil are the ones who will benefit the most from a partnership established between the Herval Premium Producers Association and the FrigorÀ­fico Mercosul slaughterhouse, in the city of Bagé.

The agreement provides that technicians of the association will monitor the quality of all lamb carcasses that enter the slaughterhouse.

Meats that satisfy the quality standards of the association will receive the certified Herval Premium brand. Another item in the agreement provides for a supply of at least 350 Herval Premium lambs per month to the slaughterhouse. The closing of the partnership counted on the participation of Sebrae Rio Grande do Sul.

"The number of lambs supplied per month may increase to 500 or even 1,000 after an experimental 60-day period," said the executive manager at Herval Premium, Clóvis ívila. The partnership was established on January 29, ending a negotiation that had been going on since August. The monitoring began on February 20.

Established in 1999, Herval Premium gathers 150 producers from seven municipalities in the southern region of the state of Rio Grande do Sul (Pelotas, Pedras Altas, Herval, Jaguarão, Capão do Leão, Pedro Osório, and Pinheiro Machado).

The association is supported by the 'Juntos para Competir' ("Together to Compete") program, developed by Sebrae Rio Grande do Sul, the National Service of Rural Education (Senar), and the Federation of Agriculture of the State of Rio Grande do Sul (Farsul).

Frigorí­fico Mercosul is the largest slaughterhouse complex in Southern Brazil, as it slaughters more than 3,000 heads/day, in five plants strategically distributed across the cities of Alegrete, Bagé, Pelotas, Canoas and Mato Leitão.

The company supplies meat to the domestic market and to more than 70 different countries. "The partnership with the slaughterhouse will make the Herval Premium brand even more known," Cauduro said.