Argentina-Jump in retail meat prices.

ARGENTINA- BIG JUMP IN RETAIL MEAT PRICES.

When the President arrives back from the United Kingdom, she is going to find that inflation has raised its ugly head again and no where more than in the butchers shops.

The recent surge in cattle prices over the last 10 days have caught up with the retail butcher.

Like Australia, Ireland and the United Kingdom, the price paid at the farm gave seems a million miles from that charges on the supermarket shelves.

We have live cattle at tops of 100c/kg usd, which give you a carcass costing 182c/kg allowing a dressing percentage of 55% and assuming the hide and offal will cover the slaughter expenses.

With the wind in the wrong direction you boneless beef is costing no more than 245c/kg for the very best cattle in the country.

You also have to take into account the Assado is sold on the bone which is the flank from an 8 rib hind and constitutes 16/ of the carcass weight.

Taking good cattle, ordinary cattle and butchers cows together beef in Argentina is costing the butcher no more that 210c/kg boneless usd.

Retail prices todat are.

Assado on the bone 450c/kg

Topside 480c/kg

Rump 480c/kg

Mince 350c/kg

Chuck steak 320c/kg

Sirloin steaks 510c/kg

Flank tenders 410c/kg

Silverside for schnitzel 540c/kg

Eye of silver 510c/kg

The peso has lost 20%of its value and there has been no increase in salaries and we have elections in June.

Common sense tells the industry that like the last two years in April, export restrictions are the only way to curb retail meat inflation as politics will be the order of the day.

The meat consumption per capita in Argentina in 2008 was 63.75 kilos per person.