Ecuador's cattle herd shrinks, driving up meat prices

Ecuador's meat prices are soaring as the national cattle herd experiences its steepest decline in ten years. Between 2015 and 2025, the number of cattle dropped from 4.1 million to 3.2 million, a loss of nearly 900,000 animals, according to the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INEC).

In provinces traditionally known for cattle farming, like Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, farmers are abandoning livestock for more lucrative crops such as pineapple, cacao, and timber. Vinicio Arteaga, president of the provincial livestock association (Asogan), notes that large farms have converted pastures to cultivate these profitable alternatives.

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In the last five years, large farms, exceeding 500 and 1,000 hectares, have cleared pastures to plant more profitable products than cattle.

Insecurity, particularly cattle rustling, also plagues farmers. Furthermore, genetic crossbreeding aimed at producing dual-purpose animals (for both meat and milk) has inadvertently reduced the muscle mass in hindquarters, the most valuable part for meat production. This practice, prevalent in Manabí province, a prime beef-producing region, has further impacted supply.

Byron Corral, former president of the Manabí Livestock Corporation, points to a lack of state credit, the 2024 drought, and investment in shrimp farms and profitable crops like cacao as additional factors contributing to the herd's reduction. The diminished supply has driven up prices, with the price per pound of live cattle in Santo Domingo's livestock market rising from $0.65 to $1.10. Recent market days have seen significantly fewer animals, with only around 4,000 arriving in the last two weeks compared to the usual 5,000.

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The price of a pound of live cattle increased from $0.65 to $1.10.