Turkey Reduces Duty on Import Fattening Cattle

TURKEY - Two new import regimes have been published in the Official Gazette in which the customs duty for imported live fattening cattle to Turkey was decreased to 40 per cent from 135 per cent until 04/01/2011 and custom duty of live slaughtering cattle decreased to 40 per cent from 135 per cent until the end of teh year, according to teh USDA Foreign Agricultural Service.

7 September 2010

2 minute read

Europe

Private companies owning more than 250 cattle will be able to import fattening cattle and should feed them for 120 days.

After 120 days of fattening, importers will be able to slaughter cattle which are imported under this regime.

Private companies can also import live slaughtering cattle to Turkey at 40 per cent custom tax.

U.S livestock genetic demand was already very high but after this change, demand for US genetics, live dairy slaughtering and fattening cattle, sheep and goat will increase.

This is significant as demand had already increased due to earlier government incentives.

Turkey and the United States are currently negotiating protocols for imports of fattening and slaughter cattle as well as live sheep and goat. In response to high red meat prices, the Turkish Council of Ministers announced import quotas for live slaughter cattle and beef on April 30, 2010.

These quotas were to be administered by the Meat and Fish Institute (a government organization) via public tenders.

Meat and Fish Institute (EBK) imported 16,000 metric tonnes of live slaughter and fattening cattle under first import quota which was issued in 30 April 2010 and 50,000 metric tonnes of live fattening cattle under 29June 2010 import quota which was about 100,000 metric tonnes of quota. The EBK import tender, however, was not successful in decreasing meat prices. For this reason the government decreased the custom tax of live slaughter and fattening cattle to 40 per cent from 135 per cent.

According to Industry sources, private companies are planning to import 20,000 head of live fattening and slaughter cattle in the near future.

The Turkish government also seems interested in finalising an import protocol for this type of animal with the United States. The EBK sells meat to private traders and grocery stores, and also runs several of its own stores where consumers can shop. The table below shows EBK meat sale prices and prices for beef in commercial stores.

The EBK announced that its wholesale cost of imported meat was 6.95 USD/kg carcass weight. Due to high demand to import cheap meat which is sold at EBK stores, lines formed in front of limited EBK stores. EBK is now planning to sell imported meat in supermarkets.