Cattle in crisis in north-east Mato Grosso
22/03/2011
Attempts to drive the cattle towards healthier pastures has cost the lives of a further 10%, they said.
The north-east of Mato Grosso has a cattle population of almost 6 million head. Other sources of cattle feed have become prohibitively expensive, Acrimat has said, and senior representatives of the organisation have begun to call for government help. They say farmers have been trying to sell off cattle but have been taking them to markets hundreds of kilometres away from the region to secure slightly better prices.
Cattle prices in Brazil are still calculated by the arroba, a measure equivalent to 15 kilos in weight. Farmers from the Canarana district have taken their cattle to Água Boa, 110 kilometres away, receiving $52.8 per arroba. Some have gone further, to Paranatinga, 310 kilometres away, where the price was $56.4.
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