Beef, high costs for farmers and declining consumption affected by inflation in Italy

A quality and sustainable production that allows prices to be kept at a profitable level for farmers and compliance with increasingly stringent environmental regulations is the challenge that the beef sector must face in order to overcome the current critical phase. On the one hand there are the high costs - from feed to energy, which have risen rapidly and have now been a thorn in the side for many months - which are not compensated by price increases (which have also given the sector some relief). On the other hand, purchases in Italy, at least those in large-scale distribution, are decreasing: the main cause is inflation which forces families to choose cheaper alternatives, but if the time span extends, there are also changes of dietary habits, the competition from plant-based protein products, and, on the horizon, the threat of "test-tube meat" that has just cleared customs in the USA. The latest snapshot of the sector was taken by Ismea, according to whom "farmers' ...