LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION, 2023

Production in cattle farming

In 2023, as compared to the previous year, the increase of cattle went down by 18.2%, that is, by about 16 700 tonnes. In the same period, the total number of calves brought forth decreased by 6 000 head (by 5.1%). The total number of slaughtered cattle, that is, slaughtered head, decreased by 3 000 (1.9%), while the net weight decreased by about 26 tonnes (by 0.1%).

Along with the decrease in the total number of dairy cows in 2023, the total production of cows’ milk decreased by 10.4% as compared to the same period of the previous year.

The total export of cattle in 2023 increased by 13.8% and their total import by 11.8%.

Production in pig farming

In 2023, the increase of pigs in pig farming went down by 13.3%, accompanied by a decrease in the number of slaughtered pigs by 2.1% and in their net weight by 1.2%. The number of piglets brought forth increased by about 5 000 head (by 0.4%) in 2023 as compared to the previous year.

As regards foreign trade in 2023, both the export and import of pigs of all categories was lower than in the previous year (by 8.6% and 18.7%, respectively).

Production in sheep farming

The increase of sheep went down by 23.7%, that is, by about 2 523 tonnes compared to 2022, while the total number of lambs brought forth decreased by about 79 000 head (by 16.5%). The total number of slaughtered sheep increased by about 25 000 head (by 4.9%), that is, by about 391 tonnes of net weight (by 6.4%).

The production of sheep’s milk decreased by 21.5% and the production of wool by 11.7%.

Compared to the previous year, the import of sheep increased by 43.6%, whereas the export increased significantly, even by about 8 000 head (by 133.3%).

Production in goat farming

The increase of goats was 46.1% lower than in the previous year, while the number of kids brought forth decreased by 15.1%. The number of slaughtered goats decreased by 4.1% and their net weight by 6.1%.

The production of goats’ milk decreased by 12.4%.

In 2023, concerning goat farming, the total foreign trade was statistically insignificant.

Production in poultry farming

Concerning the production of poultry in 2023, as compared to 2022, the number of hatched chicks decreased by 10.3%, while the increase of poultry went up by 1.8%.

The total number of slaughtered poultry increased by 0.3% (152 000 head) and their net weight by 3.1% (2 705 tonnes).

A decrease of 3.7% was recorded in the production of hens’ eggs, while the production of eggs of other poultry decreased by 19.0%.

In 2023, the total import of poultry increased by 3.2%, while their export decreased by 41.4%, as compared to 2022.

NOTES ON METHODOLOGY

Sources and methods of data collection

Data on livestock production on agricultural farms are collected through the regular Annual Survey on Crop and Animal Production (PO-71 form).

Data on the number of livestock and poultry as well as on livestock production were collected separately for legal entities and parts thereof and separately for private family farms.

Data for business entities are collected in two ways: through reports that are submitted to the Croatian Bureau of Statistics by postal service and via a web application filled in by reporting units themselves.

Data for private family farms were collected by using the CATI (Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing) method applied to a selected stratified sample. The sample has been selected on the basis of the Statistical Register of Agricultural Holdings and numbers approximately 17 000 units.

These reports provide data on the number and weight of livestock and poultry, balance of cattle, pigs, sheep, goats and poultry, production and balance of eggs, balance of milk on private family farms, milk production (cows’, sheep’s and goats’), wool and eggs.

The expanded data were compared to data from previous years and to available administrative sources. On the basis of all available data, corrections were done when necessary.

Data on export and import of livestock are taken over from the External Trade in Goods Statistics Department.

The methodology for carrying out the livestock survey is based on Regulation (EC) No. 1165/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 November 2008 concerning livestock and meat statistics, Commission Regulation (EC) No. 617/2008 of 27 June 2008 laying down detailed rules for implementing Regulation (EC) No. 1234/2007 as regards marketing standards for eggs for hatching and farmyard poultry chicks, and on the Methodological Basis for Gathering Data on Milk and Dairy Products Statistics (NN, No. 42/13).

Coverage and comparability

Reporting units are business entities and parts thereof defined in section A Agriculture, forestry and fishing according to the National Classification of Activities, 2007 version (NN, Nos 58/07 and 72/07) as well as other business entities and parts thereof engaged in the production of livestock but classified elsewhere.

Reporting units are also private family farms engaged in the production of livestock and poultry.

Confidentiality

Aggregate data that enable recognition of individual reporting units (due to their small number, the dominance rule or secondary confidentiality rule), in accordance with the Official Statistics Act (NN, Nos 25/20 and 155/23) and the Instruction on the Protection Rules and Methods for the Dissemination of Official Statistics of the Croatian Bureau Of Statistics (NN, No. 78/21), are treated as confidential and therefore are not published.

Definitions

Increase of cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and poultry means a gross production of meat in a reference year and is calculated by adding the difference in the weight of export and import to the weight of slaughtered livestock and the difference of the weight of the herd at the end and at the beginning of a reference period.

Newborns. Calved, farrowed, lambed, kidded, hatched. It comprises the total number of obtained live-born offspring of livestock and poultry (calves, piglets, lambs, kids, chicks).

Milk. The production of cows’, sheep’s and goats’ milk in legal entities as well as on private family farms is presented. The total milked quantity in a reference period is presented, irrespective of the way of milking.

Total slaughtering. Covers all livestock and poultry slaughtered on the territory of the Republic of Croatia, irrespective of origin. It represents the sum of livestock and poultry slaughtered in abattoirs and livestock and poultry slaughtered at legal entities (compulsory slaughtering) and on private family farms.

Trimmed wool. Quantities of trimmed (clipped) wool from grown up sheep and tags (matted wool and cropped wool) are reported as raw wool.

Eggs production. Data on the total number of laid eggs by all categories of hens and other kinds of poultry (eggs for setting and eggs for human consumption) are reported.

Losses. Data are reported on the number of livestock and poultry (offspring and adult head) that died due to infectious diseases, exhaustion and accidents as well as on the number of head missing or killed, whose meat is not suitable for human consumption because of diseases.

Abbreviations

Symbols

Published by the Croatian Bureau of Statistics, Zagreb, Ilica 3, P. O. B. 80
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Persons responsible:
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Lidija Brković, Director General

Prepared by:
Mario Valentić and Ana Pavetić

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