Milk production increased for the fourth year in a row

After a small decrease in 2009, the production of milk has increased every year compared to the previous year.

On 31 December 2013, the number of cattle in Estonia amounted to 261,700, of which 97,100 were dairy cows. Compared to the same period of the previous year, the number of cattle has increased by 6%, but the number of dairy cows has remained almost the same. The number of dairy cows has been in decline during the last decade, but has stabilised during the recent years. At the same time, the average milk production per cow has continually increased. In 2013, the average milk production per cow was 7,824 kilograms, i.e. 289 kilograms more than in 2012.

At the end of the year, there were 360,000 pigs and 82,700 sheep and goats in Estonia. The number of pigs decreased by 4% and the number of sheep and goats increased by 2% during the year.

In 2013, 187.1 million eggs were produced, which is 4% more than a year earlier. 117,700 tons (live weight) of livestock and poultry were slaughtered in holdings or sold for slaughter; the production of meat (live weight) increased by 2% compared to the previous year. The production of beef, mutton and goat meat decreased, while the production of pork and poultry meat increased.

Milk production per cow, 1993–2013