Impacts of Declining U.S. Retail Beef Demand on Farm-Level Beef Prices and Production

A systems model was estimated to determine the effects of declining U.S. retail beef demand on farm-level beef prices and production. Retail beef demand declined by nearly 66% from 1976 to 1999. Results indicate autonomous shifts in retail demand significantly impacted farm-level demands and production. Based on equilibrium multipliers, the 1976–99 reduction in beef demand decreased real slaughter cattle prices and production by 32.1% and 11.2%, respectively. Real feeder cattle prices and production decreased by 8.0% and 22.6%, respectively. Combining the decreases in farm prices and production, slaughter and feeder cattle producers experienced a real revenue reduction of $13.3 billion (61%) due to the long-term decline in demand.     

西餐牛肉类初加工与食品安全控制分析

牛肉是西餐主要的食材之一。本文通过对牛肉的初加工技术进行分析,探究对西餐牛肉类进行食品安全控制的措施,以提高牛肉类产品的整体质量,使西餐牛肉类产品能够达到我国食品安全的标准。     

我国肉牛养殖环境效率及影响因素分析

[目的]当前我国正处在食物消费结构转型升级背景下,牛肉需求量持续上升,同时环保约束日益趋紧、牛肉进口量不断攀升等使得我国肉牛产业面临严峻挑战。因此提升肉牛养殖环境效率、探究影响环境效率的关键因素,对稳定牛肉市场供给、促进肉牛产业的健康持续发展十分关键。[方法]文章利用1997—2017年投入产出数据,借助考虑非期望产出的超效率SBM模型对黑龙江、河南、宁夏、陕西和新疆5省区肉牛养殖环境效率进行测算,分析其时空分布特征,探究影响肉牛养殖环境效率的重要因素。[结果] 1997—2017年我国肉牛养殖的环境效率均值为0.954 7,不同地区的环境效率存在显著差异,河南、黑龙江和宁夏处在高值区域,而陕西和新疆处在低值区域。物质劳动生产率、疫病风险以及饲料结构均对肉牛养殖环境效率具有显著影响。[结论](1)肉牛养殖的环境效率存在一定的空间差异,因此在各省区在贯彻执行中央政府统一政策部署的条件下,应当根据自身实际,因地制宜制定有利于提高当地肉牛养殖环境效率的相关政策。(2)物质劳动生产率对肉牛养殖环境效率具有显著正向影响,而疫病风险和饲料结构对其产生显著的负向影响,因此鼓励提高物质劳动生产率、防范并降低疫病风险、科学改善饲料结构将有利于提升肉牛养殖的环境效率。     

Thoughts,attitudes and profile of Brazilian consumers regarding food irradiation

This study aimed to examine the neophobia, knowledge, thoughts, and opinions related to food irradiation among consumers living in a small city in Brazil through the application of a behavioral and sociodemographic questionnaire. It was found that the 271 respondents had little knowledge about the process of food irradiation and had low intent to purchase irradiated food; several consumers associated irradiated food with radioactivity and cancer. Individuals with better knowledge about irradiation and those who are young, single, did not live with children, and had higher levels of education and higher monthly family incomes were more likely to buy irradiated foods than others. These results describe the profile of potential consumers of irradiated foods and the knowledge, thoughts and opinions of the residents of a small city relative to food irradiation. This data could assist industries that irradiate foods to adopt strategies that ensure greater acceptance of their products.     

Editorial

An Almost Ideal Demand System (AIDS) was utilized to model the United States demand for domestic and imported tobaccos. The model, which includes equations for domestic flue-cured tobacco, domestic air-cured (burley) tobacco, oriental tobacco, and imported flue-cured and burley tobacco, incorporates the impact of economic factors as well as changes in consumer tastes. In this model homogeneity was rejected under certain conditions, but symmetry could not be rejected. These results suggest that imported flue-cured and burley tobacco, to a limited extent, is a substitute for domestic flue-cured tobacco and is a complement for domestic air-cured tobacco. The trend toward lower average nicotine content of domestic cigarettes is shown to have a detrimenta1 effect on the demand for domestic flue-cured tobacco, but a beneficial impact on domestic air-cured (burley), and imported oriental tobaccos.     

Valuing traceability of imported beef in Korea: an experimental auction approach*

The major objective of this study is to estimate Korean food shoppers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for imported beef with traceability. We use an experimental elicitation method, the random nth price auction, to identify consumers’ valuation for traceable imported beef. We also analyse the effect of different types of information on these valuations. Results indicate that consumers are generally willing to pay a 39 per cent premium for the traceable imported beef over similar beef without traceability. Results also suggest that in contrast to the insignificant effect of positive information, negative and two‐sided information about traceability significantly reduces WTP.     

中国肉牛养殖生产布局的阶段特征、变迁路径和影响机制——基于2008—2019年省域统计数据的空间计量分析

[目的]为充分了解“十一五”“十二五”“十三五”期间中国肉牛养殖及育肥养殖生产布局的阶段特征、变迁路径和影响机制。[方法]文章运用2008—2019年中国各地肉牛年末存栏量和牛肉产量数据,利用生产集中度、生产重心迁移轨迹阐述生产布局的阶段特征和变迁路径,利用莫兰指数、吉尔里指数和G指数分析空间相关性,利用空间面板模型分析影响因素及效应。[结果]肉牛养殖生产重心向西北方迁移了154.6km,自2017年空间正相关逐渐显著,粗饲料资源禀赋、劳动力质量、技术进步和非农就业机会是布局变迁的重要影响因素;肉牛育肥养殖生产重心向西迁移了119.15km,三大指数均具有显著性,饲料资源禀赋、劳动力质量、技术进步、市场价格、交通通达度、畜牧产业比较优势和非农就业机会是布局变迁的重要影响因素。[结论]肉牛养殖和育肥养殖均呈现出由农区向牧区迁移趋势,且存在空间正相关性,但具体变迁路径和影响机制有所差异,就此提出“合理编制肉牛生产规划、系统加强流通环节建设、强化科学技术支撑、保障饲料稳定供应”的政策建议。     

Factors Influencing Consumers' Decision to Purchase Beef

Abstract

The South Korean beef import market was deregulated in 2000. As the beef import quotas were lifted in January 2001, increased market opportunities became available for exporters. Beef exporters are allowed to have direct communication with beef merchandisers in South Korea, which enable them to respond to Korean consumer demand more effectively. Korean consumers apparently have a negative perception on the quality of imported beef. However, little information is available to guide international beef exporters in the design of an export market development program. This study used a consumer mail survey in order to examine the Korean consumer beef market. While this study is exploratory by nature, it goes beyond traditional demand analysis, and it aims to provide comprehensive information on the important factors affecting Korean consumers' beef purchasing behavior. Marketing implications for beef exporters are drawn.     

Market and Cost Structure in the U.S. Beef Packing Industry: A Plant-Level Analysis

A resurgence of consolidation in the U.S. meat packing industry in the past few decades has stimulated academic and policy debate. Issues raised include the role of cost economies in driving these patterns, and the effects on the agricultural sector (cattle producers) from market power. Here, plant level cost and revenue data for U.S. beef packing plants are used to estimate a cost-based model incorporating cattle- and output-market pricing behavior. The robust results indicate little market power exploitation in either the cattle input or beef output markets, and that any apparent evidence is counteracted by cost efficiencies such as utilization and scope economies.     

Bovine spongiform encephalopathy in Japan: consumers' food safety perceptions and willingness to pay for tested beef*

The discovery of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as ‘mad cow disease’, in Japan caused anxiety about consuming beef and beef products. As a result, there was a sudden fall in sales of beef that hurt the Japanese beef industry as well as major beef exporters to Japan. We analyse factors that affect Japanese consumers' willingness to pay (WTP) price premiums for BSE‐tested beef and estimate the mean WTP for BSE‐tested beef using data obtained from a consumer survey in Japan. A single‐bounded dichotomous choice contingent valuation model is used to recover the premium amount. We find that attitudes to food safety, reduction in beef consumption following the BSE outbreak, and being female all have a statistically significant positive effect on the WTP for BSE‐tested beef. Interestingly, demographic variables such as age and income do not affect the WTP, possibly indicating that the BSE scare similarly affected multiple segments of the population. In our sample, consumers are willing to pay a premium on average of greater than 50 per cent for BSE‐tested beef.