The average price of beef carcasses in the Azores in 2025 is expected to be €6 per kilo, compared to €2.50 per kilo in 2019, according to data collected by DI in the meat market. Monthly variations in producer prices even indicate significant monthly increases.

The same is true for live shipments, where the price tripled during the period in question and continues to rise each month. The cost of live animals for rearing on the mainland, in Spain, and for shipment to Israel has increased the most.

According to Terceira exporter Anselmo Rocha, “there is no memory of the producer price being so high,” and the meat available on the local market is never enough to meet demand.

According to data collected by DI (Diário Insular newspaper), there is a high demand for beef in Europe, particularly in mainland Portugal.

The reasons for this are the drought that has hit the continent, which has led to the slaughter of thousands of cattle in the last four years; the cattle slaughter program in the Netherlands to reduce methane; the slaughter of more than one million cows in Europe for health reasons (diseases such as bluetongue or hemorrhagic fever), and the opening of live animal shipments to Israel.

Globally, demand is also high, with the US buying more meat from Australia and China increasing its beef purchases from Brazil.

Live shipments have regained momentum, driven by the prices offered by intermediaries, who now even pay in advance, i.e., before the animals reach their destination, according to the data we have collected. Every month, intermediaries visit the Azores in search of live cattle, particularly from mainland Portugal and Spain. Cattle-rearing centers are being planned in the Azores by companies from outside the region.

In Diário Insular-José Lourenço-director

Translated into English as a community outreach program by the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL), in collaboration with Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno. PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES.