Farming in Croatia: Pig and cattle farming grows, milk production drops

ZAGREB, Sept 26 (Hina) – Data from the national statistical office (DZS) on animal husbandry in 2019 show an increase in pig and cattle breeding as well as a decrease in cow milk production compared to 2018.

Pig farming in 2019 grew by 11.1% compared to the year before, to 176,193 tonnes.

Data on foreign trade in the sector of pig farming show that 2019 saw a 17.6% drop in pig exports, to 230,000 head, while imports dropped by 0.2% to 484,000 head.

Drop in milk production

Cattle breeding in 2019 increased by 30% or around 18,300 tonnes to 79,387 tonnes. In the same period, the number of calves dropped by 4,000 head or 3.3%.

Apart from a drop in the number of milk cows in 2019, total cow milk production dropped by 3% from 2018 to 581.76 million litres.

Total cattle exports remained the same as in 2018, at 44,000 head, while imports increased by 9.2% or 12,000 head to 142,000 head.

Statistics on animal farming for 2019 show a mild increase in the number of sheep, of 0.7% to 9,382 tonnes, while the number of lambs increased by 7.7% or 32,000 head. Sheep milk production last year dropped by 6.5% to slightly more than 6.58 million litres, while the production of wool dropped by 2.1% to 1,096 tonnes.

Goat milk production dropped as well, by 4.8% to 8.6 million litres.

Statistics also show an increase in the production of chicken eggs, of 2.2% to 602.2 million, while the production of eggs of other poultry dropped by 50.7% to 617,000 eggs.