Brazil cattle die as cold temperatures batters large beef state

FILE PHOTO: Maria de Almeida 61, daughter of Gertrudes Freire, walks next the cattle at their property in Ouro Preto do Oeste, Rondonia state, Brazil, August 11, 2021. Picture taken August 11, 2021. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes/File Photo

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Nearly 3,000 head of cattle died from hypothermia in Brazil's Mato Grosso do Sul state in recent days, according to a statement posted on the website of local veterinary services on Wednesday.

The deceased animals represent a tiny fraction of Brazil's cattle herd of about 224 million head and their deaths and are unlikely to compromise beef production at meatpackers like JBS, which operate in the state.