agreste

Agreste cahiers n° 1 - mars 2000

In France, as in several other countries, beef production and prices are cyclical.

In France, as in several other countries, beef production and prices are cyclical. The characteristics of the slaughtering cycle and those of the producer price cycle are different for adult bovines and for calves. From 1953 to 1998, these cycles themselves evolved, under the probable influence of several factors. Calf slaughterings follow a cyclical pattern until 1989 and then decline steadily. Slaughterings of adult bovines on the other hand remain cyclical throughout the 1953-1998 period. Contrary to slaughterings, production prices for adult bovines and for calves did not follow any cyclical pattern before the mid-1980’s. The size of the cattle herd affects slaughtering trends ; in contrast, price forecasts made by producers and policy measures in the sector influence the magnitude of the cycles.