Argentina needs more calves
31/03/2011
Cartez believes that livestock farmers across the country could have a combined cattle herd size of 57 million head by 2017, but that development work should start now.
Argentina's latest statistics show a herd size of 47.7 million head. But the Cartez study suggests that only 20.5 million of these are cows of breeding age.
Cartez president, Néstor Roulet said on announcing the results of the study: "We need more calves to be born."
He said that, while only 42.7% of the 11.8 million cattle that Argentina slaughtered in 2008 were cows of calf-bearing age, and this was a considerable drop from the 47% share of the slaughter profile of 2009, the figure was still too high. He went on to say that high prices for cattle had convinced the country's 210,000 livestock farmers to send cows to slaughter. Many farmers want out of the beef business anyway, Mr Roulet argued, preferring to grow in-demand crops such as soya instead.
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