United States-Concerns over large number of cows slaughtered.

UNITED STATES-CONCERNS OVER HIGH COW SLAUGHTER.

Based on USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service weekly Actual Slaughter Under Federal Inspection reports through February 2009, cow slaughter continues at a high rate compared with the same period in 2008 and represents a slightly larger share of the January 1 cow inventory than last year’s slaughter. The high slaughter rates are due primarily to increased dairy cow slaughter, a result of low milk prices as well as an extended multiyear period of below-normal precipitation in California and the Southern Plains since late fall 2008. Projected cumulative 2009 dairy cow slaughter through February was 16 percent higher than for the same period in 2008. Projected cumulative 2009 beef cow slaughter through February, while about even with year-earlier levels, is still about 5 percent above same-period 2007 levels, which were based on a 2 percent larger January 1 cow inventory.