Cattle herd growth will be smaller than previously anticipated

When the Ministry of Livestock releases the country’s cattle and sheep inventory data as for June 30 in the coming weeks, it will confirm a rise in the number of cattle. However, this growth will fall short of what had been projected months ago, as offtake during the second half of the 2024/25 fiscal year was higher than anticipated. The high prices reached in the slaughter cattle market increased the incentive to accelerate the finishing of young animals, while more cows were culled, also due to the temptation of taking advantage of high prices. A cow for slaughter sells considerably more than a pregnant cow for the field.