Introduction
According to Global Meat news Brazil is the largest beef exporter in the world with over five billion worth of beef exports each year. Brazil has gone from the fourth largest producer to the largest in less than a decade. Argentina was once one of the largest beef exporters in the world but in recent years there beef exports have decreased due to measures introduced by the Argentinean government to discourage beef exports to feed their growing domestic need for beef consumption. These restrictions on beef exports have recently been lifted and Argentinean beef exports are set to rise once again in the coming years.
Beef Production in Brazil
From my introduction we can see that Brazil is the world’s main beef producer. The beef produced in Brazil is mostly from their own breed of Nellore cattle. The production system is mainly grass based which can lead to low efficiency. In recent years feedlots have become more common for finishing off animals to meet external demand. Animals usually spend about 70 days in the feedlots to achieve the minimum of 4 millimetres fat cover needed before slaughtering cattle are fed in feedlots mostly during the dry season, when pasture availability is decreased. This strategy is used to maintain a constant beef supply to the external markets nonetheless the beef cattle industry in Brazil is still based on grass feeding. At some point this constitutes an important advantage for Brazilian beef exportations because some countries look for “natural beef.” Animals are usually slaughtered at around 36 months old this late age is due to the tropical grass that they have been eating. For the domestic consumer in Brazil flavour is more important than tenderness so this late slaugh...
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... levels it experienced in 2006 but never again reach the heights it did in 2005 of exporting 770,000 tonnes of beef. Other policies are also trying to be implemented to try to increase the amount of beef available for export. Jorg Torelli a director with the ICPVA said that “in conjunction with increasing beef production work would be done to encourage increased consumption of pork to free up beef for export”.
References
http://www.animalfrontiers.org/content/1/2/46.full
http://www.globalmeatnews.com/Regions/South-America/Brazil/Brazil-beef-exports-hit-new-record
http://www.globalmeatnews.com/Analysis/Argentine-beef-changing-all-the-time-but-with-new-production-and-market-opportunities
http://www.globalmeatnews.com/Regions/South-America/Argentina/Argentina-seeks-to-regain-exports
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agriculture_in_Brazil
With geographical size and population, Brazil is the largest country is South America. The country borders the Atlantic Ocean and is in the eastern part of the continent.
The Portuguese were the first European settlers to arrive in the area. They were led by adventurous Pedro Cabral, who began the colonial period in 1500.
Speed, in a word, or, in the industry’s preferred term, “efficiency.” Cows raised on grass simply take longer to reach slaughter weight than cows raised on a richer diet, and for a half a century now the industry has devoted itself to shortening a beef animal’s allotted span on earth… what gets a steer from 80 to 1,100 pounds in fourteen months is tremendous quantities of corn, protein and fat supplements, and an arsenal of new drugs. (71)
Brazil is both the largest and most populous country in South America. It is the 5th largest country worldwide in terms of both area (more than 8.5 Mio. km2 ) and habitants (appr. 190 million). The largest city is Sao Paulo which is simultaneously the country's capital; official language is Portuguese. According to the WorldBank classification for countries, Brazil - with a GDP of 1,5 bn. US $ in 2005 and a per capita GPD of appr. 8.500 US - can be considered as an upper middle income country and therefore classified as an industrializing country, aligned with the classification as one of the big emerging markets (BEM) next to Argentina and Mexico. Per capita income is constantly increasing as well as literacy rate (current illiteracy rate 8%). Due to its high population rate (large labour pool), its vast natural resources and its geographical position in the centre of South America, it bears enormous growth potential in the near future. Aligned with an increasing currency stability, international companies have heavily invested in Brazil during the past decade. According to CIA World Factbook, Brazil has the 11th largest PPP in 2004 worldwide and today has a well established middle income economy with wide variations in levels of development. Thus, today Brazil is South America's leading economic power and a regional leader.
The commercial beef cattle industry is one of the strongest agricultural industries in the United States of America. Since the late fifteenth century, cattle have dominated the North American continent, especially the United States. Much has changed, however, since their first arrival to America. Breeds have evolved and practices have improved. Possibly one of the only things that has not changed is the hard work, time, and effort that the American farmers and ranchers spend each day tending to their herds. There is around 89.3 million head of cattle in America and about 315.1 million people. That means that for approximately every four people in the United States, there is one beef cow. Beef cattle help expand our nation’s relations by providing exports. Some of our top export markets include Canada, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, and Hong Kong (Field, Thomas G.). An in-depth study of the commercial beef cattle industry reveals an industry overview, production and marketing phases, and products of beef.
Argentina is widely known for their beef, both consumption and production. Argentina is the world second biggest consumer of meat, with each person eating around 55kg a year. Cows were first brought by the Spanish conquistadors and have become the largest commodity in the country. ...
N. Fiala. (2010). “The Value of Cultured Meat:An Estimate of the Externality Costs of Meat Consumption”New Harvest.
In the early twentieth century, at the height of the progressive movement, “Muckrakers” had uncovered many scandals and wrong doings in America, but none as big the scandals of Americas meatpacking industry. Rights and responsibilities were blatantly ignored by the industry in an attempt to turn out as much profit as possible. The meat packers did not care if poor working conditions led to sickness and death. They also did not care if the spoiled meat they sold was killing people. The following paper will discuss the many ways that rights and responsibilities were not being fulfilled by the meat packing industry.
The cattle industry produces vast amounts of strain in the environment. It is energy inefficient, pollutes water, occupies many acres of land, and deteriorates the health of the people who abuse its consumption. The government subsidizes this industry. Therefore, the price paid for meat doesn’t reflect the environmental hazards involved in the process. In order to protect our health and the health of the environment we should pay close attention to our food choices and make sure we don’t support industries that degrade it.
Brazil is both the fifth largest country in the world based off of land size and population (World Factbook). Brazil has used this demographic as a strength in its efforts to find some sort of stability in a very unstable economic climate. Brazil is the largest national economy in Latin America the world's eighth largest economy at market exchange rates and the and 10 in purchasing power parity (PPP) or GDP, according to the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank (World Fact Book). There are many factors to the development of the Brazilian economy, each having an impact, but the development is not complete.
Ensminger, M. E. Beef Cattle Science. Sixth ed. Danville, Illinois: Interstate, 1987. 53. Print. Animal Agriculture.
An abundance of Americans have no idea that most of the food that they consume are either processed or altered in one way or another. “Almost all beef cattle entering feedlots in the United States are given hormone implants to promote faster growth. The first product used for this purpose is DES (diethylstilbestrol) it was approved for use in beef cattle in 1954. An estimated two-thirds of the nation's beef cattle were treated with DES in 1956. (Swan, Liu, Overstreet, Brazil, and Skakkebaek)” Many people enjoy the various meats that comes from a cow, but that would probably change if the consumers knew that cattle is one of the most processed meat source in the market today because of the synthetic hormones that the cows are given. “ The three synthetic hormones are the estrogen compound zeranol, the androgen trenbolone acetate, and progestin melengestrol acetate. (Swan, Liu, Overstreet, B...
Brazil was first “discovered” on April 22nd, 1500 by a fleet of portuguese settlers, on a ship commanded by Portuguese diplomat Pedro Cabral that was making its journey to India. When Pedro first set eyes on the land he first assumed it was a small size island. However, they came to find it was quite large, and inhabited with native people. Brazil was attractive for many Europeans such as the French, the Dutch, and the Spanish due to its resources such as red-dye wood, gold and silver, sugar, and precious stones. On December 7th, 1822, the country declared its independence from portugal and became its own country.
Food is taken for granted by many people in places like the Western World, especially in countries like the United States. There is no fear that the next meal will be an empty plate, nor is there reason to fear that the supply of food will disappear. The reason that there is no need to ration out supplies is that the food industry mass produces food to feed their ever growing population in factory farms. However, the public is kept generally unaware of what occurs inside these farms, which calls into question the integrity of the food production. While there is an acceptance of these farms due to the convenience they provide to the consumer, there are many negative consequences related to these slaughterhouses. The mass production of food from factory farming does not justify the negative affects and threat to the environment, to the health and security of animals, nor the violation of workers’ rights.