World meat industry news

Beef production in live weight in 2023 will be 1.65 million tons, which is 1.7% more than a year earlier. This is stated in the presentation of the National Meat Association (NMA, which unites the largest meat market operators). A slight increase is predicted against the backdrop of last year’s decline: in 2022, the production of this meat decreased by 3.2% to 1.62 million tons, the presentation said.

Livestock farming demonstrates stable positive dynamics of development, says a representative of the Ministry of Agriculture. According to the ministry, in January–August 2023, the production of cattle for slaughter increased by 7% to 701,100 tons. According to Vedomosti’s interlocutor, an increase in meat production is also predicted at the end of the year. The resulting volume will be sufficient to meet the needs of the domestic market, says a ministry representative. In the future, the development of production will be facilitated by expanding exports and growing demand for products, he added.

The increase in production this year is due to the accelerated slaughter of livestock in certain regions of the country, says a top manager of a large meat producer. He did not explain the reasons for this.

Despite the growth, NMA nevertheless characterizes the situation in the industry as stagnation. The large beef producer Miratorg also speaks about this. A company representative recalls that investment activity in the beef segment has practically stopped. Miratorg, for example, according to him, has refused any new projects for breeding cattle for meat and does not observe them from other producers. It has become unprofitable to produce beef in Russia; the return on investment in the industry is now about 10–15 years, the source added.