Advantages and disadvantages of livestock farming in Brazil, according to beef chain actors

DOI: 10.15343/0104-7809.2013373321328

Abstract

This study aimed at identifying the advantages and disadvantages of beef production for the domestic market and for export
according to the perception of the production chain actors in Brazil. For that purpose, the qualiquantitative methodology
of the Collective Subject Discourse was used. This tool allows the representation of a collective opinion about a specific
subject. The field survey sample was composed of thirty-four individuals, both male and female, most of them with high
education background, belonging to five different actor categories related to cattle growing in Brazil: farmers, slaughter
houses, certifying companies, class associations and regulatory governmental entities. The results indicated that farmers
perceive more disadvantages than advantages in producing beef for export, especially due to the fact that the slaughter
houses establish the prices in the domestic transactions. Besides that, the results suggest that the Brazilian beef for the
domestic market is worse than that for export. A segmentation of the domestic market is also known, with differentiated
quality requirement.