Herd Rebuilding Process Takes Back Seat as Production Soars
ARGENTINA – Herd rebuilding aspirations have been jeopardised by an increase in female cattle slaughter this year.
27 September 2013
1 minute read
Official figures indicate slaughter increased 14 per cent year on year last month to 1.1 million, 43 per cent of which were females.
Such a marked rise in slaughterings has knocked back herd rebuilding plans, in place since 2009 as a depreciating peso and strong demand has hit the market.
The outcome has been a production and export increase calculated at reaching 8.4 million cattle slaughtered in the first eight months of 2013.
This is a 13 per cent year on year increase and has been underpinned by liquidation of females, according to the Meat Commerce and Industry Chamber of Argentina.
The effect of greater culling has seen national beef production lift 14 per cent year on year to 1.87 million tonnes cwt.
Domestic consumption has taken 93.8 per cent of this output with exports lifting 17 per cent to 87,086 tonnes swt.
Analysts at Meat and Livestock Australia anticipate the strong export performance to continue through the fourth quarter.
TheCattleSite News Desk
