Navigate to content

Milk production remained at the level of 2015

News
Posted on 25 January 2017, 10:00
According to the preliminary data of Statistics Estonia, the production of milk amounted to 781,400 tonnes in 2016, which was a little less than the year before. The number of dairy cows decreased by the end of the year, while milk yield per cow increased.

On 31 December 2016, the number of cattle in Estonia was 248,500, including 86,300 dairy cows. Compared to the same time of the previous year, the number of cattle has decreased by 3%, but the number of dairy cows has decreased by 5%. The number of dairy cows has been in decline during the last twenty years with some small increases in between. At the same time, the average milk yield per cow has continuously increased. In 2016, the average milk yield per cow was 8,832 kilograms, i.e. 390 kilograms more than in 2015.

At the end of the year, there were 265,400 pigs and 87,200 sheep and goats in Estonia. The number of pigs decreased by 13% and the number of sheep and goats decreased by 4% compared to the end of 2015. At the end of the year, there were 2.0 million poultry, which was 8% less than at the end of 2015.

In 2016, the production of eggs amounted to 194.1 million, which was 5% less than the previous year. 110,500 tonnes (live weight) of livestock and poultry were sold for slaughter (incl. export) and slaughtered in holdings; the production of meat (live weight) decreased 10% in a year. The production of beef and pork decreased, while the production of mutton, goat meat and poultry increased.

Milk production per cow, 1994–2016

The statistics are based on the data of the register of farm animals of the Agricultural Registers and Information Board (ARIB) and on the data of Estonian Livestock Performance Recording Ltd, which by using models have been converted to the format necessary for producing statistics. In addition, the data of statistical questionnaires “Poultry. Quarter” and “Pigs. Quarter” have been used, the deadline of which was 8 January 2017. Statistics Estonia published the preliminary yearly summary of livestock farming in 12 working days. For the statistical activity “Livestock farming and meat production”, the main representative of public interest is the Ministry of Rural Affairs, commissioned by whom Statistics Estonia collects and analyses the data necessary for conducting this statistical activity.