Türkiye Livestock Report Warns of Red-Meat Import Pressure

By Bosphorus News Economy Desk

Türkiye's 2025 livestock data point to a recovery in herd numbers, but the same official report shows that the red-meat system still depends on imported breeding and slaughter cattle to manage supply pressure.

The 2025 livestock sector report prepared by the General Directorate of Agricultural Enterprises (TİGEM) places Türkiye's cattle stock at 17.54 million head, up from 16.82 million in 2024. Total bovine stock, including buffalo, reached 17.7 million head. The sheep and goat population also rose to 57.87 million, with sheep at 46.69 million and goats at 11.19 million.

The annual increase gives the sector a stronger surface picture after a two-year decline in cattle numbers. Türkiye's cattle stock fell from 17.85 million in 2021 to 16.42 million in 2023 before recovering in 2024 and 2025. The pressure point is inside the import tables.

TİGEM's report shows Türkiye imported 68,707 head of breeding cattle in 2025 after importing 123,141 head in 2024. Slaughter cattle imports rose more sharply, from 49,675 head in 2024 to 137,969 head in 2025. The value of slaughter cattle imports increased from $94.2 million to $252.7 million over the same period.

Those figures show that herd recovery has not removed the pressure on breeding quality, fattening material and domestic red-meat supply. Türkiye is rebuilding stock numbers, yet imports still act as a pressure valve for the meat market.

The report also shows why public breeding capacity remains part of the supply debate. TİGEM's breeding cattle stock reached 50,379 head in 2025, and the institution says it aims to lift that figure to 70,000. It also says it has distributed 85,000 head of breeding cattle over the past 15 years and targets annual distribution of 10,000 head in the coming period.

The scale of imports suggests those targets remain smaller than the sector's wider demand. Türkiye's breeding-cattle system is still trying to catch up with the needs of a larger commercial livestock base, especially as red-meat prices and supply management remain politically sensitive.

The TİGEM and Meat and Milk Board-linked projects point in the same direction. The report says 17,790 head of beef-breed breeding cattle were brought to Kazım Karabekir Agricultural Enterprise in 2024 and 2025, while 12,691 head were brought to Ceylanpınar. It also says 5,147 pregnant beef-breed heifers were delivered to 284 breeders in 2025 under the rural livestock support project.

The projects expand the domestic base, but they also show that Türkiye is still building the beef-breed capacity it needs to reduce reliance on imported animals.

Small ruminants offer another opening, but not an immediate fix. Sheep and goats reached nearly 58 million head in 2025, yet the report says about 70.3 percent of Türkiye's red-meat output came from cattle and buffalo, while sheep accounted for 24.9 percent and goats 4.8 percent. The country's small-ruminant base is large, but the red-meat burden still sits mainly on cattle.

The long-term comparison is less comfortable than the annual increase suggests. Türkiye's sheep and goat population stood at 64.8 million in 1980, above the 2025 level. The sector has recovered strongly since 2010, but it has not returned to its older peak.

The report therefore gives Türkiye two messages at once. The livestock base is larger than it was a year ago, and public breeding programs are expanding. But the 2025 import figures show that red-meat supply security still depends on imported animals, while TİGEM's expanding breeding herds will need time to translate into stronger private-sector production.

Sources: TİGEM 2025 Livestock Sector Report, TÜİK, Bosphorus News review and reporting.