The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) forecasts another year of growth in world beef and veal production, by about 2%, to almost 62 million tonnes in 2017.
The growth will be mainly due to North and South America: producers from South Africa and New Zealand are concentrating on restoring the herd after problems associated with drought. East Asia will become a driver of global demand growth. USDA predicts that the total import demand for beef in China (including Hong Kong) will exceed the same figure in the US this year.
