Chinese beef industry calls on investigating authorities to take safeguard measures as soon as possible
In recent years, the share of imported beef in the domestic market has significantly increased, and the pressure on China's beef cattle industry chain has intensified. Industry associations, enterprises, and farmers told Global Times reporters today that they hope relevant departments can quickly introduce beef protection measures, stabilize market expectations, and safeguard the bottom line of industrial development and farmers' livelihoods.
Some farmers have expressed that as the market share of imported beef increases, the selling price of calves decreases, leading to losses in cow farming. Some breeders have to slaughter cows to alleviate business pressure.
A farmer who has been engaged in cow breeding for a long time in Tacheng, Xinjiang, reported that the market briefly rebounded in the spring of this year and quickly declined, with the current price of cow calves only three to four thousand yuan. Many farmers abandon their cows and turn to short-term fattening to avoid risks. The large-scale abandonment of cows is shaking the foundation of the industry.
The farmer stated that their family's livelihood has long relied on farming, and they do not have the conditions to switch to fattening, nor can they afford the continuous decline in cow prices. Even high-quality cows such as Simmental are sold at low prices as ordinary beef cattle. Before winter, the cost of feed increased, but attempts to sell cows were unsuccessful due to low prices.
He bluntly stated that some breeders have lost confidence and will no longer restock their cows, even accelerating the clearance process, calling for the introduction of relevant safeguard measures as soon as possible.
Affected by factors such as import shocks, China's beef cattle breeding industry has been deeply losing money for a long time since 2024, and many breeding cows have been slaughtered, "Liu Qiangde, Deputy Secretary General of the China Animal Husbandry Association, told Global Times reporters on Thursday.
According to relevant data, the inventory of breeding cows will decrease by about 3% in 2024, seriously shaking the foundation of the domestic industry. Domestic beef slaughter enterprises have suffered widespread losses, with many reporting losses of 500-1000 yuan per slaughtered cow.
Zhu Zengyong, a researcher at the Beijing Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, stated that basic cows are the foundation of the industry. If the production capacity of basic cows decreases, it may lead to an overall contraction or even severe contraction of the domestic beef cattle industry.
Compared with pigs, poultry, etc., beef cattle have a longer production cycle, higher investment, and slower turnover. Cows can only breed after 18 months of growth, with a gestation period of about 10 months and an additional two-year fattening cycle.
Once prices remain low and farmers make meager profits or even losses, they will eliminate basic cows and no longer engage in breeding. The impact on the production capacity of basic cows will lead to a decline in domestic beef cattle production capacity and supply capacity for at least four years, "said Zhu Zengyong.
Domestic beef cattle breeding involves the livelihoods of millions of rural families, mostly located in southwestern, northwestern, northeastern and other regions. It is one of the important pillar industries for many farmers and herdsmen to overcome poverty. If domestic industries are not effectively protected, and farmers continue to suffer losses without other means of livelihood, it may affect the livelihoods of farmers and herdsmen.
On December 27, 2024, the Ministry of Commerce issued Announcement No. 60 of 2024, deciding to initiate an investigation into safeguard measures for imported beef.
Although the investigation is ongoing, the import volume from January to October 2025 is still increasing: the import inventory has reached 1 million tons. Liu Qiangde stated that in the context of high imported beef prices, not only the breeding industry, but also the entire supply chain of domestic feed, animal protection products, and downstream beef processing will be affected. It is now a critical moment to introduce safeguard measures.
Liu Qiangde said, "The Ministry of Commerce has postponed twice. We understand the cautious and technical considerations of the investigating authorities, but industry chain practitioners have high expectations for the measures to be introduced. Our association, on behalf of the industry, strongly calls on the investigating authorities to introduce beef security measures before the end of 2025 and implement them immediately
Zhu Zengyong continued to say that in this context, the introduction of domestic beef security measures is of great significance. Firstly, establish a red line and import beef in moderation to ensure adequate supply. Regulating imported beef is the most direct and effective way to promote the domestic industry out of the trough, stabilize the number of cows, and enhance core production capacity.
Liu Qiangde emphasized that the association has received the basic factual disclosure based on the investigation authority's ruling. If the measures are implemented before the end of the year, it will be good news for the industry, allowing the foundation of the industry - the number of cows - to recover and giving practitioners more confidence in future development.