Some 3,000 head of cattle died from hypothermia in Brazil's Mato Grosso do Sul farming state in recent days, according to a statement posted on the website of local veterinary services on Wednesday.
Brazilian cattle prices are down this year and strong demand for the country’s beef exports will widen Brazilian meatpackers’ margins in the short term, according to analysts, though weakness in the domestic market could undercut those gains.
The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) declared Brazil free of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) with vaccination on Thursday, opening new export prospects for the world’s largest beef exporter. The OIE already considered most of Brazil to be free of foot-and-mouth with vaccination. The declaration, which the government had been expecting since the start of the year, extends certification to the whole country.