In the fourth quarter of 2014, meat production and producer value declined by 5.4 and 7.5 per cent respectively when compared to the corresponding period in 2013.

The National Statistics Office said that meat production went down by 5.4 per cent to 2,867 tonnes as a result of decreases in the production of broiler meat, beef, and pigmeat, of 7.9, 7.5 and 3.5 per cent respectively.

Lower beef production resulted from a 7.4 per cent drop in the number of slaughtered cattle. Slaughtered pigs decreased by 1,513 heads, corresponding to a drop in the production of pigmeat. The drop in broiler meat resulted from an 8.2 per cent decrease in the average carcass weight, although the number of slaughtered broilers underwent a small increase.

The producer value of animals slaughtered at licensed slaughterhouses went down by €0.5 million (-7.5 per cent) to €6.3 million over the comparative period in 2013. This came about because of lower producer value regarding broiler meat, beef and pigmeat, by 15.8, 7.0 and 3.5 per cent respectively.

Permalink: Meat production and producer value both down in Q4 of last year