Beef shops remain closed for two days due to shortage of cattle in Erode in Tamil Nadu on Monday.
| Photo Credit: GOVARTHAN M.
More than 80 beef shops across the district remained closed on Monday (June 29, 2026) as shop owners launched a two-day strike demanding a revision in the retail price of beef. They also cited a shortage of cattle as a factor affecting the trade.Beef shops operate in various parts of Erode city, including Periya Agraharam, Pudhumai Colony, Kanirowther Kulam, Gandhinagar and Annai Sathya Nagar. Beef is currently sold at ₹360 a kg. Shop owners said the prevailing price was no longer remunerative in view of the increase in procurement costs.Speaking to reporters, the shop owners said the procurement cost of beef had increased significantly, while the retail price in Erode had remained unchanged at ₹360 a kg. They said the current price was no longer viable and demanded that it be revised to ₹450 a kg. They pointed out that beef was sold at ₹400 to ₹500 a kg in the neighbouring Tiruppur district. The two-day shutdown on Monday and Tuesday (June 30, 2026) was organised to press for the demand, they added.A beef trader from B.P. Agraharam said the arrival of cattle at markets, including Anthiyur, Pudhansandhai and other markets within a 40-km radius, had declined sharply in recent years. He attributed the decline to rising input costs, including the cost of cattle feed and labour, which had reduced farmers’ interest in rearing cattle.The trader said transportation costs for moving cattle from markets to retail shops had increased substantially. Entry fees for vehicles transporting cattle into markets had also gone up, while labour charges had risen considerably. He also cited a decline in hide exports and poor prices for hides in the domestic market as factors adversely affecting the trade. Published - June 29, 2026 06:42 pm IST
