The US may face rising meat prices

The United States may face a shortage of beef and rising MEAT prices due to the reduction in the number of cattle by American farmers. This is reported by the Fox News channel.

Farmers cited drought, lack of hay and rising costs for keeping animals, including feed, as the main reasons for the reduction, which, according to market participants, have risen in price by 50% compared to last year.

In addition, according to Colin Woodall, HEAD of the US National Pastoral Association, if earlier herds of animals could be taken to regions with less drought and the availability of pastures and hay, now the problem has become a widespread phenomenon for the country.

“There is no place to go because everyone is having trouble finding the forage they need to feed the animals,” Woodall said in an interview with the TV channel.

“We expect prices (for meat) to continue to go up, but everyone should remember that it is not the farmers who set them,” he added.

According to the head of the association, the cost of breeding and keeping animals in the United States has increased significantly, including the cost of fuel for vehicles and fertilizers for growing feed.

USDA calculations show that farms have already reduced the number of cattle compared to the previous year. The total number of animals in July was 98.8 million animals, which is 2% lower than the comparable figure in July 2021.

At the same time, as farmers indicate, livestock suitable for breeding also fall under the reduction of livestock, which will negatively affect the availability of beef in the United States in the future and the simultaneous increase in consumer prices, which in June amounted to 9.7% in annual terms.