Last week, another live cattle vessel was loaded in Montevideo: The Ocean Drover Wellard, a Singapore-flagged ship with capacity for around 22,000 head, destined for Turkey. The operation was carried out by the firm Olkany.
The shipment included both calves and heifers, confirming expectations that the flow of live cattle exports will remain strong in the coming weeks. “There are around 40,000 to 50,000 head scheduled for loading between this vessel and others expected to arrive,” a live cattle market operator told WBR.
The Turkish market is extremely overheated, as reported in last week’s edition of WBR, with rising prices following confirmed foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) cases in several provinces—although no official communication on the virus has been issued. Additionally, widespread forest fires due to intense summer heat are impacting many livestock regions.
The entire country is under quarantine for the next 20 days, meaning there is no movement of animals. “Markets will be closed for 20 days,” confirmed sources from Turkey.
