# South Africa’s cattle herd rebuilding and meat price story | Wandile Sihlobo

> South Africa's meat prices recorded deflation of -1.1% in March 2019 following a ban on red meat exports after foot-and-mouth disease broke out in Limpopo. The cattle herd remains well below pre-drought levels from 2015/16 despite recent rebuilding.

- Date: 2019-05-17 · published 2019-05-17T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: disease · region South Africa · magnitude low
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/59053-south-africa-s-cattle-herd-rebuilding-and-meat-price-story-wandile-sihlobo
- Commodities: [Live Cattle](https://feedsoft.ai/c/LCATTLE.md), [Feeder Cattle](https://feedsoft.ai/c/FCATTLE.md)

## Why it matters

The export ban increased domestic meat supply and pushed prices down, but a lifting of the ban could reverse this. Herd rebuilding limits how much supply can grow, so meat prices may rise again.

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LCATTLE | 2020-04-01 | [Meat prices rise while cattle prices drop as supermarkets race to stock shelves](https://feedsoft.ai/events/54259-meat-prices-rise-while-cattle-prices-drop-as-supermarkets-race-to-stock-shelves.md) | -10.1% | -17.5% |
| LCATTLE | 2026-06-29 | [Dangerous Heat and Screwworm Cases Mean Cattle Prices Are Still Bullish. Hog Prices Need a Kick Higher.](https://feedsoft.ai/events/18952-dangerous-heat-and-screwworm-cases-mean-cattle-prices-are-still-bullish-hog.md) | -4.5% | -11.9% |
| LCATTLE | 2026-04-06 | [Why are cattle prices surging in the U.S. right now?](https://feedsoft.ai/events/10267-why-are-cattle-prices-surging-in-the-u-s-right-now.md) | +3.1% | +3.6% |
| LCATTLE | 2020-04-02 | [Why beef prices are up and cattle prices are down](https://feedsoft.ai/events/6286-why-beef-prices-are-up-and-cattle-prices-are-down.md) | -5.8% | -13.4% |
| LCATTLE | 2025-01-30 | [Feeder cattle prices should remain at historical highs in 2025 - Grainews](https://feedsoft.ai/events/26636-feeder-cattle-prices-should-remain-at-historical-highs-in-2025-grainews.md) | -0.7% | -4.3% |
| FCATTLE | 2020-11-20 | [Mexican Drug War Affects U.S. Cattle Program - Dairy Herd](https://feedsoft.ai/events/50121-mexican-drug-war-affects-u-s-cattle-program-dairy-herd.md) | +2.2% | +2.7% |
| FCATTLE | 2026-06-29 | [Dangerous Heat and Screwworm Cases Mean Cattle Prices Are Still Bullish. Hog Prices Need a Kick Higher.](https://feedsoft.ai/events/18952-dangerous-heat-and-screwworm-cases-mean-cattle-prices-are-still-bullish-hog.md) | -2.5% | -8.5% |
| FCATTLE | 2026-04-06 | [Why are cattle prices surging in the U.S. right now?](https://feedsoft.ai/events/10267-why-are-cattle-prices-surging-in-the-u-s-right-now.md) | +0.3% | -0.4% |

## Sources

- wandilesihlobo.com: https://wandilesihlobo.com/2019/05/17/south-africas-cattle-herd-rebuilding-and-meat-price-story/

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Data from Feedsoft AI (https://feedsoft.ai/). For information only; not investment advice.