From €4 to €5 per kilogram for beef producers, imported beef determines prices

The producer price for beef ranges from €4 to €5 per kilogram.. Production costs have increased for beef cattle, but it is difficult to raise the price of Greek meat because the market will turn to imports.

Imported beef is approximately 60 cents cheaper than Greek beef.. If the price of Greek meat increases, there is a risk that the market will turn to imported meat. The only way to increase Greek meat production is to raise the price of imported meat.

Calves imported into our country for fattening have increased costs (Limousin, etc.). However, because the French have built a good brand name, the farmer knows that they will get a better price.

What beef cattle farmers are asking for is the state should carry out checks on the identity of meat sold on the market. Also, Meat should be categorized at the slaughterhouse so that there is an incentive for farmers to take good care of their animals.. This is how it is done in France, where there are machines in slaughterhouses that determine the quality and price of meat. Also, where cooperatives sell to slaughterhouses and get better prices.

Achilles Tsaprailis, a member of the Greek Short-Horned Cattle Breeders« Association, reports that »the producer price for beef is currently between €4 and €5 per kilo. This price was already low, but now, with the increase in costs by approximately 40% (due to feed and energy), there is no profit margin left for cattle farmers. The demand for beef from short-horned calves has fallen significantly. On Sunday (17/10/2021), we will hold a General Assembly where the members of the Union will discuss a survey on the quality of the breed's meat and ways to increase demand.

As Nikos Dimopoulos, cattle farmer and president of the Kavala Livestock Farmers Association, pointed out, «the producer price for beef ranges from €4.20 to €4.30 per kilogram. This is a very low price, and with the increase in costs, things are very difficult for livestock farmers.

Cows give birth every nine months and farmers have to pay to raise the calves. Stabled cattle are even more expensive to keep because of the cost of feed. Many farmers give their calves to fatteners to save on costs. Many fatteners also import calves from breeds with good yields and slaughter them in a few months as if they were Greek-bred.

From 15 months of age, calves are sent for slaughter. There are no local dairy calves in Greece because they are more expensive.. Imported meat is usually back meat, which is the cheapest meat abroad, so we cannot compete with it.

Ms. Anna Karvounidou, a cattle farmer from the Lagkada area, says, «I have a beef cattle farm. I raise cows for breeding and have imported cattle for fattening. I have local and imported breeds and I crossbreed for genetic improvement. All my animals are stabled.

Abroad, dairy cows (Holstein) are also slaughtered and actually taste good. The problem is that they do not yield well and fetch lower prices.

The producer price for meat remains stable, ranging from €4.50 to €4.80 per kilogram in the region. Animals are slaughtered at up to 17 months of age. Butchers usually purchase animals weighing between 350 and 400 kilograms. Milk calves are not slaughtered in Greece.

The cost of animal feed has increased. Silage has reached 42–44 cents (last year it was 38–40 cents). Corn reached 27 cents last year; it was 18 cents.