In the first quarter, meat production and the producer value declined by 2.0 and 1.5 per cent respectively when compared to the corresponding quarter last year, the National Statistics Office said today.

Meat production went down by 2.0 per cent to 3,032 tonnes during the quarter under review. While the production of pig meat and beef rose by 8.2 and 2.4 per cent respectively, these were offset by a decline of 10.3 per cent in the production of broiler meat.

The increase in beef production resulted from a 0.4 per cent rise in the number of slaughtered cattle and a 2.0 per cent increase in the average carcass weight, while the rise in pig meat production resulted from a 13.3 per cent increase in the carcass weight, in spite of a 4.5 per cent decline in the number of pigs slaughtered.

Additionally, broiler meat production declined by 10.3 per cent due to a 10.6 per cent drop in the number of slaughtered broilers, with the average carcass weight increasing marginally.

The producer value of animals slaughtered at licensed slaughterhouses in the period under review amounted to €6.8 million, or 1.5 per cent less when compared to the first quarter of 2013. Decreases of 14.7 per cent and 6.3 per cent in the producer value of broilers and beef respectively were the result of drops of 8.4 per cent and 4.8 per cent in the average price per kilogramme of slaughtered cattle and broilers.

On the other hand, an increase in the average carcass weight of slaughtered pigs was reflected in an 8.2 per cent rise in the producer value of pigs, with the average carcass price remaining stable.

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