SLAUGHTERING OF LIVESTOCK AND POULTRY, 2025

According to the available data on the total slaughter of livestock in slaughterhouses, the number of slaughtered cattle decreased by 5.3% in 2025 compared to 2024.

The slaughter of pigs decreased by 0.5%, that is, approximately 6 120 head less were slaughtered than in the previous year. The number of sheep slaughtered in slaughterhouses decreased by approximately 46 400 head, that is, by 30.1%, while the number of slaughtered poultry increased by 10.0% compared to the previous year.

Concerning the net weight of livestock slaughtered in slaughterhouses, an increase of approximately 800 t (1.0%) was recorded in the production of pigs, and of approximately 9 400 t (12.1%) in the production of poultry.

The net weight of sheep slaughtered in slaughterhouses decreased by 29.9% (approximately 570 t), while the production of cattle decreased by approximately 921 t (2.2%).

Concerning the total slaughtered livestock and poultry, including the estimate of domestic slaughtering on private family farms, the following changes were recorded compared to the previous year.

The number of slaughtered pigs in 2025, as compared to 2024, decreased by 16.1% (approximately 261 850 head), with a decrease in net weight of 14.8% (17 782 t).

The total number of slaughtered sheep increased by approximately 29 097 head (6.2%), with an increase in net weight of 375 t (6.5%).

The total number of slaughtered goats in 2025 was 15.8% lower (approximately 6 300 head), with a decrease in net weight of 66 t (15.2%).

The total number of slaughtered poultry increased by 9.7% and their net weight by 10.2%.

The data on the total slaughtered cattle equal those on the cattle slaughtered in slaughterhouses.

Concerning the gross indigenous production, the situation was as follows.

Expressed in percentages, the number of slaughtered cattle decreased by 0.4% with an increase of their net weight of 1.2%.

The total number of slaughtered sheep increased by 2.2%, and their net weight by 13.4%.

The total number of slaughtered pigs decreased by 0.2%, and their net weight by 12.1%.

The total number of slaughtered goats decreased by 15.8%, and their net weight by 15.2%.

Presented in numbers, there were approximately 340 head less of slaughtered cattle, approximately 7 900 head more of slaughtered sheep, approximately 2 300 head less of slaughtered pigs and approximately 6 300 head less of slaughtered goats. The increase in net weight amounted to approximately 800 t in the category of cattle, the net weight in the category of pigs decreased by 15 900 t, the net weight of sheep increased by approximately 640 t and the net weight of goats decreased by approximately 66 t.

The number of slaughtered poultry increased by 8.7% (approximately 4 396 470 head) and their net weight by 15.1% (approximately 13 300 t).

NOTES ON METHODOLOGY

Sources and methods of data collection

Annual data on the slaughtering of livestock and poultry in slaughterhouses are taken over from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries – Directorate for Livestock and Food Quality (Department for the Control of the Carcass Classification System for Cattle, Pigs and Sheep Križevci).

Data on the total annual slaughtering of livestock and poultry are also obtained, except from administrative data on the slaughtering of livestock and poultry in slaughterhouses, on the basis of data collected in regular annual surveys on the number of livestock and livestock production at business entities and on private family farms.

Data on export and import of livestock and poultry are taken over from the foreign trade in goods statistics.

The survey on the slaughtering of livestock and poultry in slaughterhouses serves for collecting data on the number of slaughtered livestock by types and categories, their weight before slaughtering (gross weight), the weight of dressed carcass (net weight) and data on coefficients of utilisation.

Data on the balance of livestock and poultry also include information on the number of slaughtered livestock and poultry on private family farms as well as on compulsory slaughtering at legal entities.

The methodology for carrying out the livestock survey is based on Regulation (EU) 2022/2379 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 November 2022 on statistics on agricultural input and output, amending Commission Regulation (EC) No 617/2008 and repealing Regulations (EC) No 1165/2008, (EC) No 543/2009 and (EC) No 1185/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council and Council Directive 96/16/EC, as well as on Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/2745 of 8 December 2023 laying down rules for the application of Regulation (EU) 2022/2379 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards animal production statistics.

Coverage and comparability

Reporting units that submit monthly reports on livestock and poultry slaughtering are legal entities, parts thereof and tradesmen engaged in the activity of livestock and poultry slaughtering.

Data on the number and production of livestock for business entities are collected in two ways: on reports submitted to the Croatian Bureau of Statistics by postal service and by using an internet application filled in by reporting units.

Data for private family farms are collected by telephone interviewing on a selected stratified sample. The sample has been selected from the Statistical Register of Agricultural Holdings, which has approximately 25 000 units.

Gross indigenous production forecast is based on estimation models by using data from available administrative sources and regular statistical surveys.

Confidentiality

Aggregate data for which there are reasons for confidentiality (due to a small number of units, the dominance rule or secondary confidentiality rule) according to the Official Statistics Act (NN, Nos 25/20, 155/23 and 124/25 – corr.) and to 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 considered confidential and are, therefore, not published.

Definitions

Net weight is the weight of dressed carcass of slaughtered livestock and poultry without skin and blood, beheaded (not including piglets and poultry), and after removal of the viscera, forelegs to the knee and hind legs to the hock.

Coefficient of utilisation of slaughtered livestock and poultry is a percentage ratio of the weight of the slaughtered livestock and poultry (net weight) and the weight of livestock and live poultry (gross weight), and it is presented in percentage.

Total slaughtering of livestock and poultry 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 slaughterhouses and livestock and poultry slaughtered at legal entities (compulsory slaughtering) and on private family farms. The data on the total slaughtering of cattle include solely the cattle slaughtered in slaughterhouses.

Gross indigenous production covers livestock and poultry bred on the territory of the Republic of Croatia. It represents the difference between the total slaughtered livestock and poultry and the external trade balance (gross indigenous production – slaughtered meat production minus the meat equivalent of animals imported alive plus the meat equivalent of animals exported alive).

Gross indigenous production forecast corresponds to the estimate of the number of slaughtered cattle, pigs and sheep and the external trade balance of live animals.

Abbreviations

Symbols

Published by the Croatian Bureau of Statistics, Zagreb, Ilica 3, P. O. B. 80
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Predrag Cvjetićanin and Ana Pavetić

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