Brussels, 07/06/2001 (Agence Europe) - According to a study recently published by Eurostat, the various herds (bovine, sheep and goats, pigs) in the European Union experienced a fall in 2000. For sheep, goats and pigs, this reduction is confirmed in 2001.
The population of bovines fell 1.3% in 2000, to 81.6 million heads. Which represents a reduction of 1.1 million animals (-1.3%), compared to 1999. At the end of 1999, a reduction of 0.13 million (-0.2%), on average, annually, had already been seen. The variations between Member States are -5.1% in the Netherlands to +1.0% in Belgium. The reduction was the greatest in three countries: Ireland (-248,000 heads), the Netherlands (-207,000 heads) and the United Kingdom (-404,000 heads), which recorded close to 80% of the total fall in the bovine population in the EU.
In a parallel study Eurostat feels that in 2001 the population of sheep and goats in the European Union confirms the downward trend. The production of sheep meat should fall 4.3% in 2001, to total 67.7 million animals. This phenomenon is mainly due to the fall in production in the United Kingdom (-9.8%), but Spain (-1.7%) and France (-1.1%) will not be spared. Among the major producing countries, only Italy (-1.1%) will experience a noticeable increase. The population of sheep in the European Union fell 2.4% in December 2000, compared to 1999, settling at 94.212 million heads. The fall in the population was most noticeable in the United Kingdom (-7.2% in 2000). The gross indigenous production of goats should total 7.8 million animals in 2001, or a fall of 4.2% compared to 2000. The reduction is most significant in Spain, whose production fell 7.1%. The population of goats is set, in 2000, at 11.2 million animals. The fall seen since 1998 is explained by the reduction of herds in Greece and Spain (respectively by 4.8% and 2.4%).
European pig production should fall by 0.5% in 2001, to fall to 202.8 million heads. The production will nevertheless be maintained at a relatively high level, feels Eurostat. Annual production from 2001 will in fact be above 7% of that in 1997. The population of pigs fell 1.1% in December 2000 compared to 1999. The most significant reductions have been seen in Austria, Finland, Sweden and the United Kingdom, while the population in Denmark rose 6.1%.