During the first half of 2016, meat production and producer value decreased by 3.8 and 5.9 per cent respectively over the same period in 2015, the National Statistics Office said today.

Meat Production: January-June 2016

Meat production amounted to 5,022 tonnes, down by 3.8 per cent over the corresponding period in 2015. This was due to a drop of 10.4 per cent in the production of pigmeat. This was partially offset by increases of 13.0 and 1.0 per cent in the production of beef and broiler meat respectively.

Lower pigmeat production resulted from a 9.2 per cent drop in the number of slaughtered pigs. The increase in beef production was due to a 12.4 per cent rise in the number of slaughtered cattle. Broiler meat production went up by 1.0 per cent as a result of a 5.1 per cent rise in the average carcass weight, although the number of slaughtered broilers declined by 4.1 per cent.

Producer Value

The producer value of animals slaughtered at licensed slaughterhouses amounted to €10.4 million, 5.9 per cent less when compared to the first half of 2015. This resulted from a drop of 13.1 per cent in the producer value recorded for pigmeat. However, the producer value of beef and broiler meat advanced by 6.8 and 2.2 per cent respectively.