Fine Imposed on Cuban Farmer for Growing Cattle

A Cuban farmer named Andrés Manuel Sosa Ramírez has come forward to publicly protest a staggering fine of 200,000 pesos, levied against him for having his cattle graze on what the government deems idle land. This issue gained widespread attention after a video he shared on Facebook went viral, amassing over 13 million views.

"A fine of 200,000 pesos because my cattle are growing on idle land. Is it wrong or right? I haven’t committed any other crime," declared Sosa Ramírez. His words starkly illustrate the convoluted logic of Cuba's agricultural policies, where a producer is penalized not for harming or stealing livestock, but for nurturing living, growing animals.

Sosa Ramírez criticized the situation as "abusive," pointing out that there are over 200 caballerías of wasted land in his locality. He accused the Delegation of Agriculture of aiming to confiscate his cattle, questioning, "How long will this injustice in the country continue?"

This is not the first time Sosa Ramírez has faced such sanctions. Back in May 2026, he reported being fined 60,000 pesos by CENCOP (National Center for Livestock Control) for an alleged "age discrepancy" among his animals.

Regulatory Framework and Sanctions

The legal foundation for these penalties is laid out in Decree 70/2022 issued by the Council of Ministers, which updates the penalties regarding the oversight and registration of large livestock. Under this decree, failing to report the birth, death, or loss of livestock results in a 10,000-peso fine per animal, while not updating registration data incurs a 20,000-peso penalty. Moreover, owning unregistered cattle can result in a fine of up to 20,000 pesos per animal, along with confiscation.

Adding to this burden is Resolution 20/2025 from the Ministry of Finance and Prices, which imposes a tax on underused agricultural and forest lands. Thus, if a farmer leaves the land idle, they pay a tax; if they use it for cattle without perfectly updated records, they face a fine.

Economic Disparities and Livestock Decline

The paradox becomes stark when comparing figures. In March 2026, the government set a maximum price of 75 pesos per kilogram for first-category bulls, translating to a mere 37,500 pesos gross for a 500-kilogram animal—a fraction compared to the 200,000-peso fine Sosa Ramírez is facing.

This situation is part of a broader crisis. Since 2019, Cuba has lost over 900,000 head of cattle, with the national herd numbering just three million animals by the end of 2024—nearly 400,000 fewer than the previous year.

In 2024 alone, 58,963 cattle deaths and 7,143 illegal slaughters were documented across the country. In Villa Clara, more than 15,000 cattle perished in August 2025 alone.

A nationwide audit conducted from March 2024 to January 2025 identified 181,854 irregularities in the management of Cuba's cattle population, highlighting the extensive structural disarray acknowledged even by the regime itself.

Instead of encouraging those who manage to sustain and expand their livestock, the government's response to this production collapse has been to impose stricter controls, more bureaucracy, and increased fines.

In April 2026, another Cuban farmer encapsulated the dire situation with a poignant phrase that also gained traction: "They steal from me, and they are the owners," referring to the authorities' stance when a producer loses animals to theft but is still held accountable by the state.