The three main activities in meat production registered falls in production – the cattle carcass weight fell from 361 tonnes to 304 tonnes (-15.6 per cent), the pig carcass weight fell from 2,453 tonnes in the second quarter of 2003 to 2,094 tonnes in the second quarter of 2004 (-14.6 per cent) and the carcass weight of broilers slaughtered fell from 1,764 tonnes to 1,508 tonnes (-14.6 per cent).

While the average carcass weight per animal slaughtered remained relatively unchanged when comparing the second quarter of 2004 to the second quarter of 2003, the fall in the overall carcass weight was due to the fall in the number of heads slaughtered.

The number of cattle, pigs, and broilers slaughtered fell by 13.2 per cent, 14.0 per cent and 17.4 per cent respectively.

The decline in the number of heads slaughtered in each sector had an adverse effect on the producer value of these activities.

The producer value fell from Lm3,097,624 in the June quarter of 2003 to Lm2,650,588 in the second quarter this year, representing a fall of 14.4 per cent.

Comparing the first six months of 2004 to the same period last year, cattle slaughtering declined by 15.6 per cent, pig slaughtering declined by 15.9 per cent and broiler slaughtering declined slightly by 2.0 per cent.

Although, during the January to June period, the total carcass weight fell by 952 tonnes (-9.8 per cent), from 9,697 tonnes to 8,744 tonnes, the producer value declined by Lm754,177, from Lm6,535,094 to Lm5,780,917.

The pig sector was the most affected, with a decline of 9,986 pigs slaughtered when compared to the first six months of 2003. This resulted in 866 tonnes less pig meat on the market and a fall of Lm569,510 in the producer value.

Regional Statistics

During the period under review, the total carcass weight of all sectors slaughtered in Maltese slaughterhouses fell from 3,953 tonnes to 3,470 tonnes (-12.2 per cent), bringing down the overall producer value from Lm2,672,777 to Lm2,359,442, (11.7 per cent).

The fall in the number of pigs and broilers slaughtered was responsible for the fall in carcass weight and producer value. These fell by 9.8 per cent and 18.5 per cent, respectively.

A similar pattern also occurred in Gozitan slaughterhouses, where the total carcass weight and producer values of the main animals slaughtered fell by 30 per cent and 31.5 per cent respectively. The number of heads slaughtered in Gozitan slaughterhouses declined significantly.

The largest decline was noted in pig slaughtering, where only 407 pigs were slaughtered when compared to the 1,831 pigs slaughtered in the Gozitan abattoir last year.

This was due to refurbishment that was carried out at the Gozitan slaughterhouse in the months of May and June.