Livestock husbandry, 1 January 2012, preliminary figures

The number of holdings with dairy cows dropped by 5 per cent, while the decline in the number of holdings with pigs was 4 per cent. The number of holdings with dairy cows dropped by 600 to 10 350, while the number of holdings with pig dropped by 100 to a total of 2 700.

In the beginning of 2012, 14 500 holdings kept sheep. About 1 900 holdings kept laying hens, while 600 had broilers. The number of holdings with laying hens dropped by 3 per cent from 2011 to 2012, while the corresponding figure for holdings with sheep and broilers was almost unchanged.

As per 1 January 2012, a total of 850 000 cattle were registered, a decrease of 9 900 from the year before. The number of breeding pigs, dairy goats, sheep and laying hens decreased by 1 per cent, while the number of broilers and pigs for slaughtering increased by 1 per cent.

Larger herds

The average holding with dairy cows had 23 cows in 2012, which is 8 more than in 2002. An average size holding with sheep had 72 sheep in 2012; 17 more than in 2002. The average holding with breeding pigs has grown from 34 breeding pigs in 2002 to 75 in 2010, and with laying hens from

1 000 to 2 100 in the same period.

Tables:

• Table 1 Holdings keeping domestic animals of various kinds as per 1 January. County
• Table 2 Cattle and sheep. No of heads as per 1 January. County
• Table 3 Various domestic animals. No of heads as per 1 January. County
• Table 4 Holdings with various kinds of domestic animals, by size of herd. As per 1 January