Meat production increased by 334 tonnes in the third quarter this year, the National Statistics Office said.

It said this increase was the result of an increase in the slaughtering of cattle (+7.7 percent), pigs (+ nine percent) and broilers (+20.7 percent). Beef, pigmeat and broiler-meat production rose by 5.8, 5.6 and 22.1 percent respectively.

The NSO said that the average carcass weight of cattle and pigs slaughtered decreased by 4.9 kilogrammes (-1.8 percent) and 2.6 kilogrammes (-3.1 percent), respectively.

On the other hand the average carcass weight of broilers slaughtered edged up by 0.02 kilogrammes (+1.2 percent).

During the period under review, the producer value of animals slaughtered at licensed slaughterhouses amounted to €6.1 million, up by €0.6 million (+11.7 per cent) from €5.5 million in the third quarter last year.

The producer value of slaughtered cattle decreased by 8.5 percent on account of lower prices fetched on the market, from an average of €3.02 per kilogramme in the third quarter of 2007 to €2.61 per kilogramme in the quarter under review.

The producer value of pigs rose on account of a nine per cent increase in the number of pigs slaughtered, aided by an increase in the average price per kilogramme of 2.5 percent to €1.61 per kilogram.

The producer value of broiler meat registered an increase of 36.3 percent on account of an increase in the number of broilers slaughtered, complimented by an increase in the average price per kilogramme carcass, from €1.40 in the third quarter of 2007 to €1.56 in the quarter under review.