Turkey: Livestock and Products Annual

Many Turkish cattle farmers are struggling to make ends meet because input costs, especially feed, are increasing at a faster pace than farmgate prices for carcass meat and milk. As a result, many farmers are cutting their losses and sending their animals to slaughter earlier than normal. This trend is expected to continue into 2023 as economic conditions in the country remain bleak. For 2023, cattle production is forecast to increase a nominal 2 percent year-over-year, thanks in large part to the Ministry of Agriculture & Forestry’s recent decision to permit 160,000 head of imported feeder cattle over the coming months. The Ministry hopes that these imported feeder cattle will help alleviate the rising cost of beef at a time when overall food inflation in Turkey is at record levels. Meantime, the Turkish government has instituted different measures to alleviate the rising prices for both livestock feed and food, but inflation remains a persistent problem.