Argentina-Importing beef by 2012.

ARGENTINA.

BEEF IMPORTS MAYBE REQUIRED by 2012.

Argentina could be forced to import beef by 2012, if current policies are not modified, however current tonnage could increased by 50% if rules are changed, warned the Argentine Regional Consortia of Agriculture Research (AACREA), in Buenos Aires.

Argentina’s livestock industry, is sending powerful alert signals to the government, according to the coordinator of AACREA, Belisario Alveraz de Toledo.During recent years, cattle numbers have dropped off with the best land being taken by the arable farmers for the production of soy.

Calves are being sold for the same prices as in 2002, yet rearing costs and prices have soared 50% since that time.More cows are going for slaughter and lighter cattle are being slaughtered, which all adds up to a disaster waiting to happen.

Production has decreased and consumption has increased, to 73 kilos per person per year.

Senor Beliario said, that its not to late to change, government intervention in domestic and overseas trading are the worse thing that can happen to the beef industry.

The way things are going, according to the beef expert, by 2012 Argentina will be a beef importing country.

The same remark was made by the beef editor of the Irish Farmers Journal, partly in jest a while ago.