Beef Pregnant Heifer Initiative Boosts Red Meat Production

September 29, 2026 · AA Tarım & Ekonomi

The pregnant heifer distribution and pasture-based livestock policy launched to strengthen Turkey's red meat supply is reducing breeders' costs and accelerating domestic production.

The beef pregnant heifer strategy, implemented to increase red meat supply and stabilize market prices in Turkey, is being positively received by the sector. Tunç, the President of the Producers' Union, stated that approximately 180,000 pregnant heifers were brought into the country this year as part of the 'Prosperity Livestock Support in Rural Areas' project, and expressed support for the policies implemented by the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, İbrahim Yumaklı, and his team. Tunç made the following assessment regarding the process of popularizing beef breeds:

Reminding that in the past, plateaus could not be used sufficiently due to security issues, and animals were kept in farms, Tunç stated that this situation increased costs due to dependency on imported feed. Stating that the effective use of pastures will directly balance meat prices, Producers' Union President Tunç explained the importance of plateaus with the following words:

The process of producers raising pregnant heifers on pastures and obtaining offspring helps close the gap in red meat supply by providing the advantage of cost-free grazing.

Tunç stated that the gradual reduction of cattle meat import quotas is valuable for protecting domestic breeders, but also noted that imports cannot be completely eliminated in global trade. Expressing that the Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia regions will break new ground in production, Producers' Union President Tunç made the following statement regarding the continuity of the implementation:

It was reported that priority is given to small family businesses with a capacity of under 200 heads in livestock support. Stating that these businesses are the fundamental condition for rural development and access to cheap food, Producers' Union President Tunç emphasized the importance of small businesses with the following statements:

It was stated that keeping small businesses in rural areas alleviates the pressure of migration to cities and contributes to the economy by reducing costs.

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