Chubut Sheep Farmers Face Collapse Amidst Predator Crisis

Sheep producers in Argentina's Chubut province are sounding the alarm, declaring they have "hit rock bottom" due to escalating losses from predators and an unchecked guanaco population. The situation has become so dire that annual losses now reach 25% of their flocks, a figure that surpasses the average replacement rate of 20%, rendering the industry economically unsustainable.

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There is generalized unease, there is weariness, we have hit rock bottom in terms of patience.

Producers recently presented a document outlining their grievances to provincial authorities from the Ministry of Production and the Secretariat of Environment. Andrés Fajardo, president of the Rural Society of Comodoro Rivadavia, expressed the widespread frustration, stating, "There is generalized unease, there is weariness, we have hit rock bottom in terms of patience."

The problem is exacerbated by the proliferation of predators such as red foxes, pumas, and wild boars, whose range has expanded beyond the mountains to coastal areas. Stray dogs near urban centers also contribute to the losses. Producers emphasize that their aim is not to eradicate wildlife but to establish a balance between conservation and livestock production.

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The predation reaches 25% loss of animals, when normally it reached 5% or 7% in a flock. Today, a normal replacement for this livestock model is 20%, and if one is above that, it is very difficult for the activity to remain viable.

Adding to their plight, producers face legal challenges, including accusations of animal cruelty when defending their livestock. They cite a "legal vacuum" that leaves them unprotected, partly due to the repeal of articles in Law 52, which dissolved the Commission for the Control of Predatory Species of Livestock. This leaves producers without adequate support while new protected areas are established without specific management plans.

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The main problem that the agricultural producer in the area has is the predator.