There were 1,575,779 head of cattle on 45,780 ranches, an increase of 14.2% compared to the figures reported in 2011.
From a press release issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG):
In our country, the cattle herd is 1,575,779 head of cattle and there are 45,780 cattle farms, these are the results of a livestock survey, presented on Tuesday by Gloria Abraham, Minister of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG) and Leonardo Luconi , President of the Livestock Corporation (CORFOGA).
The drastic decrease in the number of livestock has generated a significant increase in imports of cattle in order to satisfy the demand for beef.
Information from the Foreign Trade Promotion Office (Procomer), reveals that in 2012, Costa Rica imported 11 times more live cattle than in 2011.
Erick Quirós, senior director of regional operations at the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG), said that this drop in the number cattle is a consequence of the crisis of 2009 and the impact of climate change.
During 2012 exports of live cattle amounted to 5,200 heads, a marked improvement on 2011 when only 85 were exported.
The meat trade totaled 5,600 tonnes as opposed to the 5220 tons reported in 2011, according to figures from the National Cattlemen's Association (Anagan).
According to Euclides Diaz, secretary at Anagan, the main market for Panamanian meat was Taiwan, to which it sends about 50% of its exports, while Costa Rica absorbs exports of live cattle for fattening.
Although the production of antivenom is at normal levels, an unexplained over demand is causing severe shortages, which worry farmers, its main consumers, who are requesting the drug’s importation.
Veterinary antivenom produced in Costa Rica is produced by the Clodomiro Picado Institute, whose director Alberto Alape-Girón notes that every year there is a plan for "how much will be produced based on demand from the previous year.
After two decades of steady reductions in the area devoted to the production of meat and milk, 2011 showed a rise in exports.
Many ranches have become littered with pineapple plantations, which offer better profit margins, and in this way, of the 2.4 million hectares occupied in 1988, the business now occupies about 1 million hectares, which has been adjusted according to final data from the National Livestock Survey in progress.
Authorities are negotiating better conditions for cattle entering Mexico from Central America.
Representatives from the International Regional Organization for Animal Health (OIRSA), are in negotiations with Mexican authorities to promote the sale of live cattle from Central America.
This includes improving the facilities that exist at some border points, such as Ciudad Pedro de Alvarado, El Salvador, and Agua Caliente, Honduras.
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