The number of slaughters increased in pigs, sheep and goats and birds, and decreased in cattle in Romania in 2024 compared to the previous year, while carcass weight (meat production) increased in all animal species and fowls, the National Institute of Statistics (INS) reported on Monday.

In December 2024 as against December 2023, the number of slaughters and carcass weight increased in pigs and poultry, and decreased in cattle, sheep and goats.

According to INS, in December 2024, the number of slaughtered cattle decreased by 4.3%, to 44,000 head, and the carcass weight decreased by 4%, as against the same month in 2023, to 7,146 tonnes. For the whole year, the number of slaughtered cattle decreased by 13.5%, to 494,000 head, while the carcass weight increased by 1%, to 81,008 tonnes.

In the pig species, in December 2024 1% more animals were slaughtered (694,000 head), and the carcass weight increased by 2.4% from December 2023, to 63,415 tonnes. For the whole year, slaughters increased by 10.5%, to 3.89 million pigs, and production climbed by 5.8%, to 347,904 tonnes.

As for the slaughter of sheep and goats, INS December 2024 data show a decrease of 1.9% from December 2023, to 311,000 head, with the weight in the carcass being 1.8% lower (4,570 tonnes). Slaughters in 2024 increased by 11.7% to 6.937 million head, and carcass weight rose by 36.1% to 83,198 tonnes.

According to INS data, poultry slaughters increased in December 2024 by 10.6% as against December 2023, to 27.605 million head, and carcass weight rose by 12%, to 46,463 tonnes; y-o-y, slaughters in 2024 increased by 3.1%, to 341.615 million chickens, and carcass weight rose by 8.1%, to 573,903 tonnes.

The average carcass weight – the ratio between the total carcass weight and the number of animals or birds slaughtered – reported in 2024 was 164 kilograms for cattle, 89.4 kilograms for pigs, 12 kilograms for sheep/goats and 1.7 kilograms for poultry.

AGERPRES