Will Foot-and-Mouth Disease Negatively Affect Meat Prices?

All Milk, Meat and Breeding Cattle Breeders Association (TÜSEDAD) President Müslüm Doğru evaluated the effects of the spreading foot-and-mouth disease on livestock farming across Turkey. Doğru stated that there could be losses of up to %30 in beef cattle and %15-20 in dairy cows due to this disease.

According to the reports of the Bursa Breeding Cattle Breeders Union dated November 22, the slaughter prices of Holstein male calves increased by 30 lira per kilogram. As a result, the prices of male calves weighing over 400 kilograms reached 490 lira. Overall, a 30 lira increase was observed in slaughter prices across all weight groups.

Slaughter prices for other breeds range between 420 - 520 lira per kilogram. Additionally, the slaughter prices for cows also rose to a range of 350 - 440 lira. Doğru added that foot-and-mouth disease has spread throughout Turkey and that this situation will cause long-term damage to the livestock farming sector.

This challenging process faced by breeders seems likely to lead to an increase in meat prices in the market. Experts predict that if the losses and rising costs experienced nationwide are combined with the stagnation affecting the livestock sector, price increases will be unavoidable. Therefore, consumers are also expected to encounter high prices at the start of this process.