Malta’s stock of cattle has gone up slightly, amounting to more than 15,000 animals last year, an increase of 0.8 per cent, or 120 heads, compared to a year earlier.

The Bovine Register revealed that cows, the most important bovine, amounted to 42.6 per cent of the total cattle stock, registering a decline of 1.1 per cent, the National Statistics Office said.

Nearly half of all farms, 47 per cent, had between three and 29 heads of cattle. About 10,000 heads, or 67 per cent, were to be found on Maltese farms while Gozo and Comino had the rest.