Put a ring for cows to increase meat production

The Argentine government will invest 8 million pesos (about US $ 1.6 million) in 2 years 2013 and 2014 to implement the 'National program to use the device to put the placenta to prevent pregnancy' for the purpose of increasing capacity meat production in this South American country.

The IUD has been invented more than 20 years ago in Argentina and has been exported to some countries such as Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Bolivia and Spain, but this is the first time on a government decided to deploy to use it widely after successfully applying the pilot in 2012.

According to the program, Argentina's Ministry of Agriculture will buy 220,000 contraceptives each year to supply about 20,000 small and medium producers.

Contraceptive device for cows.(Photo: pergaminovirtual)

According to veterinary expert Enrique Turín, the owner of the invention, the contraceptive device for cows works with the principle of the IUD used for humans. It is 'assigned' to cows that have completed the reproductive cycle (laid 5 to 7 calves), or raised for the purpose of meat.

The use of an IUD is beneficial in that if you are pregnant, the cow is thinner. On the other hand, it stimulates endocrine to allow cows to gain weight.

Argentina has extensive farming practices so it is difficult for breeders to control the breeding process. With the device, the reproduction of the cow is controlled and the producers do not have to bother separating the cow from the bulls to avoid the ' unwanted ' pregnancy .

On average, Argentina slaughtered 5 million cows a year, of which about 1 million cows are pregnant. According to Turín, meat production will increase by 5% for every cow, while investing only a small amount of money, because the device is sold in Argentina for only 17 pesos, (about 3 USD ).

Argentina has about 58 million cows, ie an average of 1.5 people per person. Beef is always the main food in this South American country.

Although consumption has decreased by nearly 50% in the period of 1958-2011, the average Argentinian still consumes about 60kg of beef a year, one of the highest in the world.