Argentina raises cattle slaughter weight to halt price hike

Argentina's government has lifted the minimum weight for cattle to be slaughtered for the second time in two months in a bid to curb increases in local beef prices.

Slaughtered cattle will have to weigh at least 165 kilogrammes starting May 1, while slaughter of lighter cattle will be penalised, according to an official report. The minimum slaughter weight of 143kg was raised to 154kg as of April 1, the first increase in two years.

Declining beef supplies and rising prices are expected to cut Argentina's per capita consumption of beef by 20% this year to 60kg from 2009, according to the Meat Industry Chamber on February 12.

This year, Argentina is expected to have four  million fewer cattle head, or 30% less cattle slaughtered as breeding has declined, having been curbed by government export restrictions and price regulations, according to the Argentine Rural Society, a farmers group.