“After four years of deficits, are feed prices going up too?”… Hanwoo leaders strongly condemn Nonghyup Feed’s price hike

[Korea Agricultural Technology Newspaper = Reporter Lee Hyun-woo] Hanwoo leaders gathered from across the country strongly condemned Nonghyup Feed, which recently raised feed prices.

At the ‘Hanwoo Leaders Capacity-Building Training’ held by the Korean Beef Association (Chairman Min Kyung-cheon) for two days on June 23 and 24 at Bellfore Resort in Jeungpyeong, North Chungcheong Province, about 200 participants adopted a ‘Resolution Condemning Nonghyup Feed’s Price Increase.’ It is the producer group’s full-scale follow-up response to Nonghyup Feed’s announcement that it would raise compound feed prices by 39 won per kilogram starting June 15.

Through the resolution, they demanded that Nonghyup Feed △ lower feed prices △ create a feed price stabilization fund △ share the burden with Hanwoo farmers struggling under four consecutive years of deficits, while also pressing the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs to promptly establish measures to ease feed cost burdens and stabilize production costs.

Chairman Min Kyung-cheon appealed, saying, “Last year, there was not a single day of peace of mind due to discussions on additional opening to U.S. beef and natural disasters, and this year production costs have soared as international conditions became unstable in the aftermath of the Middle East war. Even government statistics show that Hanwoo farms have been in the red for four consecutive years. About 800 farms are shutting down every quarter. We know very well that conditions on the ground are even harsher.” He continued, “With the recent price hike by Nonghyup Feed added to this reality, we feel utterly at a loss. We can never take this increase lightly,” signaling a strong response.

In response to such backlash from Hanwoo leaders, a Nonghyup Feed official explained, “Pressure on feed production costs has increased due to factors such as the won-dollar exchange rate soaring well above 1,500 won, so the price increase was unavoidable,” adding, “However, considering farmers’ difficulties, we minimized the scale of the increase and delayed the timing as much as possible.”

Meanwhile, lectures at the training that day included ‘Basic Tax Knowledge Hanwoo Farmers Should Know’ (Kim Tae-yong, accountant at Daegyo Accounting Corporation), ‘Direction of Livestock Policy Promotion’ (Shin Woo-sik, head of the Livestock Policy Division at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs), and ‘Foot-and-Mouth Disease Quarantine Measures’ (Lee Joo-won, deputy director at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs).