September 1, 2005

USDA: Turkey livestock and products annual 2005

The Turkish livestock sector continues to struggle despite government programs to assist producers. Cattle inventories continue to decline, while the government restricts imports.

At the same time, high feed costs increase the cost of production. Each new Turkish government announces some type of support program although most were social rather than economic programs.

Declining meat supplies have significantly increased meat prices in recent years. Higher profits in this sector have attracted investments in the sector. Large private sector entities have tried to establish commercial farms primarily for dairy production along with some feedlots in the western parts of the country. These investments have increased interest in U.S. livestock genetics in recent years.

Turkey maintains very restrictive import regulations for live animals, allowing only imports of dairy and beef breeding cattle. Turkey does not permit imports of breeding cattle from the United States due to the BSE incidents in the states of Washington and Texas. 

Turkey hopes to become a member of the European Union and has begun adopting EU regulations. Since imports of live animals from the European Union are also banned due to BSE, Turkey is having difficulty finding high-quality breeding cattle to import. 

Animal nutrition is one of the primary problems of the Turkish livestock sector.  Rations are usually inadequate because of high feed costs. Livestock are grazed traditionally on public meadows, which were provide poor nutrition and are used on a first-come first-serve basis. Little or no additional supplements are provided because feed costs are extremely high due government policies to support local grain prices. 

For the full USDA report, click here.