The cattle stock last year went down by 2.2 per cent to 14,883 heads
when compared to 2013, the National Statistics Office said.

It said that according to the data from the Bovine Register, cattle stocks on  December 1 fell by 2.2 per cent, or 337 heads, compared to a year earlier.

Bovines aged less than one year increased by 4.3 per cent. In contrast, bovines aged between one and two years decreased by 15.9 per cent and those over two years by 13.6 per cent.

Cows, representing 44.4 per cent of the total cattle stock, registered an increase of 2.8 per cent.

Last year, 281 holdings were engaged in cattle rearing, of which 120 were involved in the production of milk. These dairy farms accounted for 13,561 heads, or 91.1 per cent of the total stock.

The majority of cattle farms had between three and 29 heads on the holding (39.1 per cent), amounting to 1,086, or 7.3 per cent of the stock. In contrast, 56 cattle farms were classified as ‘large’ (at least 100 heads).

Such farms comprised 10,091 heads, or 67.8 per cent of the total stock.

On a regional level, 10,002 heads of cattle were located in Malta and 4,881 in Gozo and Comino.