The number of cattle on 1 December last year, showed a decline over the same date in 2005 – 19,233 heads, which is 2.6 per cent fewer. There were 336 holdings with cattle, of which 143 were oriented to milk production.

Of all the cattle, 88.2 per cent were found on dairy farms, the remainder being found on farms rearing cattle for meat. Dairy cows, being the most important bovine with 39 per cent of the total cattle stock, declined by 2.4 per cent, from 7,675 heads in 2005 to 7,494 heads in 2006.

Of all cattle farms 43.2 per cent are small, with a herd size ranging from three to 29 cattle on the holding. These farms had a total of 1,661 cattle or 8.6 per cent of all cattle. On the other hand, 20.2 per cent of all cattle farms were considered large, with more than 100 cattle on the holding.

These holdings had a total of 12,867 heads or 66.9 per cent of the total cattle stock. Eight-nine per cent of all farms with a herd size ranging from three to 29 cattle rear cattle for meat, while the remaining farms in this category are small dairy producers.

The total number of cattle on the non-dairy farms in this range amounted to 1,360 or 81.9 per cent of all cattle within this herd size.

On the other hand, all the farms with a herd size of 100 of more cattle are dairy producers. On a regional level, 13,123 cattle (68.2 per cent) were found on Maltese farms. Most of the cattle on Maltese farms are found in the south-eastern district. Of all cattle on the island of Malta, 40.3 per cent were found in this district. The remaining 6,110 heads (31.8 per cent) were found on farms in Gozo and Comino. The number of cattle on the main island fell by 4.6 per cent, while the number on Gozo and Comino rose by 2.1 per cent over 2005.