Uruguay-Fray Bentos.

URUGUAY.

BRAZILIAN GROUP RE-OPEN CORNED BEEF PLANT.

The Brazilian group Mafrig, has announced that it has started production of cooked beef for the British market at the old Anglo abattoir in Fray Bentos Uruguay, which for decades was the leading beef exporter to the United Kingdom from South America.

The Fray Bentos plant, where the brand name Fray Bentos corned beef was born and was staple food for British homes during most of the twentieth century, has been re-furbished and is expected to begin full production in the next few weeks.

Actually the city of Fray Bentos with excellent port facilities and next to some of the best grazing land in the world, developed and expanded on the back of the beef industry until the seventies, when the British sold the plant to the Uruguay government meat board.

Cattle have already been processed in the plant and shipments began in early October.The Fray Bentos brand is known worldwide.

The Mafrig Group operate 19 state of the art beef plants throughout South America with 5 plants in Argentina, 4 plants in Uruguay, I plant in Chile and 9 plants in Brazil.

The economic downturn and high meat prices in England will make the cooked meats a cheap alternative for shoppers. Corned beef, steak and kidney pies are the two main recipes.