Turkey to purchase breeding cattle from Northern EU

Turkey has launched a public tender for the purchase of breeding and beef cattle from Estonia which is bound to make local meet processing companies raise their procurement prices.

High representatives of Turkey are touring Estonian cattle farms with plans to buy up breeding cattle, head of the Animal Breeders Association Tanel Bulitko said on Tuesday (May 12).

Turkey has 11 million heads of cattle and on the Estonian scale the quantity of breeding cattle it wishes to buy is limitless, Bulitko said. A realistic amount could be a couple thousand animals within the next 12 months.

Estonia is at present the sole member state of the EU where Turkey can buy breeding cattle because veterinary restrictions bar animal imports from other EU countries.

Turkey is buying cattle in the US, Australia and New Zealand as well. The Estonian animals will be distributed among privately-owned farms.

Additionally, Turkey wants to buy cattle for slaughter. Its initial wish was for 1,000 cows a month but since Estonian farmers cannot provide such a number the actual purchase will probably be half the said quantity. Beef cattle can be imported into Turkey also from Latvia and Lithuania but not from other EU countries.

Bulitko said Turkish buyers are offering a higher price than the going price in Estonia for both breeding and beef cattle and thus the growing demand can be expected to push up procurement prices here.