Number of Breeding Cattle Drops on Falling Prices
By Lee Hyo-sik
Staff Reporter
The number of ``hanwoo,'' Korea's homebred cattle, and other types of cattle for meat consumption, dropped in the fourth quarter of last year from the previous quarter because of falling prices as a result of rising U.S. beef imports.
According to the National Statistical Office (NSO) Tuesday, the number of hanwoo and other types of cattle raised here reached 2.43 million nationwide as of the end of December, down 1.6 percent from the third quarter. It marks the first decrease since the fourth quarter of 2007.
The number of ranches breeding cattle fell 2.7 percent to 181,000 in December from three months ago but each livestock farmer raised an average of 13.4 cattle, a slight rise from 13.2.
``Despite surging feed prices, prices of hanwoo and other cattle have remained weak because of increasing U.S. beef imports. More consumers opt for cheaper imported beef over homegrown amid worsening economic conditions. These unfavorable conditions seemed to make livestock farmers cut the number of cows,'' an NSO official said.
The price of a hanwoo bull weighing 600 kg fell to 3.77 million won in December from 4.76 million won a year earlier.
But the number of milk cows rose 0.2 percent to 446,000 in the fourth quarter across the country from the previous quarter.
Livestock raisers became reluctant to breed hogs on surging feed costs in the wake of high international grain prices. The number of pigs raised in the country totaled 9.1 million in December, down 2.1 percent from three months ago.
The number of chickens bred for eggs rose 1.7 percent to 59.2 million, while chickens raised for meat stood at 54.5 million, down 1.9 percent.