Title: SELECTED RESULTS OF THE IFCN BEEF NETWORK
Author(s): Deblitz, C.
Organisation: Beef Branch, International Farm Comparison Network (IFCN)
Country: Germany
The global players in beef production are North America, Brazil, Argentina, Australia
and the EU-25. In value-terms, the main exporters are North America, Australia, Brazil and
Argentina. Main importers are again North America, Japan and the Far East. Within the
framework of the International Farm Comparison Network (IFCN), and using harmonised
methods for analysis, a total of 29 typical beef finishing farms in 15 important beef producing
countries were analysed. The farms show significant differences in production systems and
productivity levels. The highest cost of beef production is found in the EU-countries (US$
350–500 per 100 kg carcass weight), the lowest in Argentina, Uruguay and Pakistan (US$
100–130). In the case of trade liberalisation, farms with low costs of production have an incentive
to export to markets with higher price levels. A benchmarking example is given for
Brazilian, German and Argentinian farms revealing the specific strengths and weaknesses of
the typical farms. Further, the time series analysis of identical farms illustrates the necessity
of regular cost and price comparisons. The future potential of beef production depends on
availability of land, possibilities for intensifying production and the competition with other
land uses. Whether an increase in production leads to a net trade surplus depends mainly on
the development of the demand for beef.
Keywords: Beef production, international competitiveness, International Farm Comparison
Network.
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