NUMBER OF LIVESTOCK AND POULTRY
Situation as on 1 December 2021

Downward trend in the production of livestock continues

Despite the increase in the total number of cattle of 1.2% in 2021 compared to 2020, the total number of dairy cows continued to decrease, by 7.3%.

As regards the production of sheep, a decrease of 1.2% was recorded in the total number of head compared to the previous year, with a simultaneous decrease of 8.4% in the number of milk sheep. The number of goats remained at approximately the same level as in 2020.

Negative trend was also present in the production of pigs, as their number decreased by 5.9%.

A significant decline in production (of 7.4%) in 2021 compared to the previous year was also recorded for poultry.

NOTES ON METHODOLOGY

Sources and methods of data collection

Data on the number of livestock were collected separately for business entities and parts thereof and for private family farms. These surveys serve for collecting data on the number and weight of livestock and poultry, balance of cattle, pigs, sheep, goats and poultry, balance of eggs, balance of milk produced on private family farms; production of cows’, sheep’s and goats’ milk, wool and eggs.

Data for business entities are collected in two ways: on reports which are submitted to the Croatian Bureau of Statistics by postal service and via a web application through which the reporting units themselves fill in data.

Data for private family farms are collected by using the CATI method applied to a selected stratified sample. The new sample has been selected on the basis of the Statistical Register of Agricultural Holdings and numbers approximately 7 000 units.

The expanded data have been compared to the data from previous years, available administrative sources (the Single Register of Domestic Animals of the Croatian Agricultural Agency) and other available data. On the basis of all available data, corrections were implemented as was needed.

Data on the number of cattle and goats for 2021 have entirely been taken over from the Single Register of Domestic Animals of the Croatian Agricultural Agency as an administrative data source.

The methodology for carrying out the livestock survey is based on the Regulation (EC) No. 1165/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 November 2008 concerning livestock and meat statistics, Commission Regulation (EC) No. 617/2008 of 27 June 2008 laying down detailed rules for implementing Regulation (EC) No. 1234/2007 as regarding marketing standards for eggs for hatching and farmyard poultry chicks and the Methodological Basis for Gathering Data on Milk and Dairy Products Statistics (NN, No. 42/13).

Coverage and comparability

Reporting units are business entities and parts thereof that are defined by section A Agriculture, forestry and fishing according to the National Classification of Activities, 2007 version (NN, Nos 58/07 and 72/07), as well as other business entities and parts thereof engaged in agricultural production that are classified elsewhere.

Reporting units are also private family farms engaged in the production of livestock and poultry. The sample of the Annual Report on Livestock Production of 1 December 2020 was selected from the Statistical Register of Agricultural Holdings.

Confidentiality

Aggregate data for which there are reasons for confidentiality (small number of units, the dominance rule or secondary confidentiality rule), according to the Official Statistics Act (NN, No. 25/20) and according to the Ordinance on the Statistical Data Protection Method, are treated as confidential and therefore are not published.

Definitions

Cows are female bovine animals, which have already calved.

Heifers are selected female bovine animals that have not calved yet.

Sows are female breeding animals that have farrowed for at least once.

Mated sows are female breeding animals that have already farrowed and are expected to farrow again.

Gilts are selected young female breeding animals that have not farrowed yet.

Mated gilts are young female breeding animals that are expected to farrow for the first time.

Boars are male breeding animals.

Ewes for breeding are female breeding animals that have already lambed as well as those that are expected to lamb for the first time.

Other poultry includes domestic guineafowls, quails and other poultry breeded primarily for the production of meat and eggs. Feathered game raised for hunting is excluded.

Abbreviations

Published by the Croatian Bureau of Statistics, Zagreb, Ilica 3, P. O. B. 80
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Persons responsible:
Edita Omerzo, Director of Business Statistics Directorate
Lidija Brković, Director General

Prepared by:
Mario Valentić i Anita Grlica

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