Words by

Nanna Árnadóttir

@nannaarnadottir

Photo by

Uberprutser

The import of beef was 10 times higher in the first 6 months of 2014 than the same time last year, reports Vísir.

This year over 535 tonnes of beef were imported into Iceland compared to just 50 tonnes in 2013.

As reported, the unlimited import of beef was granted five months ago to work against a shortage of Icelandic cows for slaughter. It is believed that the beef shortage has been caused by two main factors.

The first being that farmers make more money from dairy and are therefore keener to hold on to the cows rather than send them to slaughter. Secondly, the growth in tourism has lead to an increase in demand.

The majority of the beef imported originates in Germany.