Cattle stock declines

Cattle stock in Malta has declined by 8.6 percent last year when compared to 2007.

The National Statistics Office said that cattle under one year was affected by a 16.7 percent drop, while one to two year old stocks decreased by 7.3 percent.

Cows, which represent 41.9 percent of all cattle, registered a decline of 4.2 percent.

In 2008, 383 holdings were engaged in rearing cattle, of which 153 were oriented to milk production. The latter accounted for 89.1 percent of total cattle stock.

The majority of cattle farms (44.1 percent) had between three and 29 cattle on the holding. Between them, these farms comprised 1,627 heads, or 9.2 percent of all cattle.

On the other hand, 16.7 percent of all cattle farms were large, with herds of more than 100 cattle heads. These holdings accounted for 11,822 heads, or 66.5 per cent of total cattle stock.

Of all farms with a herd size ranging from three to 29 cattle, 84.6 per cent reared cattle for meat production. On the other hand, farms with a herd size of 100 cattle or more were dairy producers.

On a regional level, cattle stocks fell by 9.6 percent in Malta and 6.4 percent in Gozo and Comino. Overall, 11,905 cattle (67 percent) were found on Maltese farms with 37.7 percent of these being located in the South Eastern District.

The cattle population in Gozo and Comino amounted to 5,872 heads, or 33 percent of total stock.