Avoid oversupply of slaughter cattle

Extension of the 2004 slaughter year is under consideration

According to information from the German Farmers' Association, the EU Commission no longer rules out transitional regulations when switching from slaughter premiums to decoupled direct payments. The reason for this is the fear that the change in agricultural policy could result in an oversupply on the slaughter cattle market at the end of the year, since many farmers still want to market their animals in 2004 in order to collect the old premium.

In order to equalize the offer, an extension of the 2004 slaughter year is being examined. This would mean, for example, that animals eligible for a premium that were slaughtered in the first two months of 2005 would still be assigned to 2004. The problem here is that the 2004 premium ceiling of 1.782.700 animals could be exceeded if too many young bulls that were not ready for slaughter were delivered at the beginning of 2005. In the summer, the Commission will present concrete proposals for an “extended slaughter year” to the Management Committee, with the Federal Ministry for Consumer Protection signaling approval for such a regulation.

Source: Bonn [ZmP]