040917 Mexican Butchers Protest High Meat Prices

Mexico City - Thousands of butchers gathered in Mexico City to protest the high price of beef. The butchers attributed elevated beef prices to meat imports from countries like the United States and Japan.

One of the leaders of the 3,500 butchers gathered, Ernesto Rodriguez Cabrera, said a commission of six people interviewed the secretary of the government of Mexico City to expose the problem affecting their sales and businesses.

During the protest, close to 100 butchers parked their vehicles in the largest plaza of the Mexican capital.

The protesters said the increase in prices has effected their sales. At the beginning of 2004, 2.2 pounds of beef cost $4.72 but by the end of September, it had risen to $6.13, a price prohibitive for many Mexican families.

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