Cattle Prices Fall As India Reduces Exports And WHO Releases Report

 | Oct 28, 2015 10:00AM ET

India reduced exports

In India, beef exports contracted by volume by 13.2% to 598.9 thousand tons in April-September 2015, compared to the same period of the previous year, after tougher cattle slaughtering standards were introduced. The export contracted by value by 15.5% to $1.89bn. Will the reduction of beef export from India provoke the global price increase?

This year the Indian People’s Party took over the leadership of Maharashtra state and prohibited there the sale and consumption of beef. The Party is planning to extend the restriction over the whole territory of India where the cows are sacred animals. Meanwhile, the country is the major global beef exporter. During the last few days, the cattle prices are falling after the World Health Organization said beef consumption can provoke cancerous diseases. It is hard to say yet what can influence more the prices, the cutting of India’s exports or the news that beef causes health problems. According to USDA, the number of feeder cows in the U.S. in August hit the low since 1996 amounting to 1.9mln units. In one year, the number reduced by 6%. Meanwhile, the beef export from the U.S. decreased 12% this year compared to the same period of last year, while imports rose 17%. The United States are the net-importer of this meat. The export is forecasted to reach 2.3bn pounds this year with import forecasted to be at 3.4bn pounds. On October 28, the US Department of Agriculture will publish the report “Livestock & Meat Domestic Data” and on November 5 the “Livestock & Meat International Trade Data” report. They are likely to influence the beef prices.