Durango cattle ranchers have sounded the alarm by reporting massive food fraud: they estimate that up to two out of every ten kilos of beef consumed in the state is actually clandestinely slaughtered horse meat. This deceptive practice, uncovered after the discovery of an illegal slaughterhouse, not only represents a fraud to consumers who pay beef prices ($200 MXN/kg) for a cheaper product ($70 MXN/kg), but also worsens the deep crisis facing Mexican livestock, which is also under pressure from the excessive influx of Brazilian beef.
Rogelio Soto Ochoa, president of the Durango Regional Livestock Union (UGRD), revealed figures detailing the precariousness of the domestic market. The leader asserts that 20% of the beef sold in the state comes from horses. In addition, 50% corresponds to imported Brazilian beef, leaving only 30% of the market for local cattle ranchers.
Soto Ochoa emphasized that the main problem is not the quality of the horse meat, but the deception: “It kills you to be defrauded, with meat that costs 70 pesos and sold to you for 200. It kills your wallet, and that’s what keeps happening.” Therefore, the UGRD demands transparency so that consumers can freely decide what to buy.
Evidence of food fraud became clear on September 5, when an anonymous complaint led the Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks (Coprised) to discover a clandestine slaughterhouse in the city of Durango. Authorities found the remains of illegally slaughtered horses, confirming the practice of selling horse meat as beef. Although those responsible fled before being arrested, the discovery publicly exposed a problem that ranchers had long suspected.
The crisis in Mexican livestock is not limited to clandestine horse meat; The crisis is greatly aggravated by two external factors:
Avalanche of Brazilian Beef: Cattle ranchers report an “uncontrolled” influx of Brazilian beef during 2025. The sector estimates that Mexico has received more than 65,000 tons so far this year, a figure eight times higher than the average of the previous two years. The UGRD leader lamented that this benefits Brazilian importers and producers, while the domestic product, of better sanitary quality, is displaced.
Closure of the United States Border: The crisis deepened with the embargo on Mexican cattle exports imposed by the United States starting in November 2024, following the detection of the screwworm. This measure has left the sector without its main market. Durango cattle ranchers report losses exceeding 2.5 billion pesos due to this restriction.
Before the Rural Development and Conservation Commission at the “Listening to the Voices of the Countryside” forum (Monday), livestock leader Rogelio Soto Ochoa called for immediate federal government intervention to regulate the excessive influx of Brazilian beef, citing the example of the United States, which limited the import of this product to 40,000 tons annually to protect its producers.
He also demanded that the new General Water Law consider the needs of the agricultural sector and address the effects of the screwworm, to curb unfair competition and avoid “the death blow” to the Mexican countryside.
Source: debate
