According to preliminary data of Statistics Estonia, the production of milk amounted to 791,800 tons in 2017, up by 1% YoY. The number of dairy cows increased slightly by the end of the year, and the average annual milk production per cow increased as well.
On December 31, 2017 the number of bovines in Estonia was 251,300, including 88,400 dairy cows. Compared to the same time of the previous year, the number of bovines increased by 1%, and the number of dairy cows by 0.3%.
The number of dairy cows has shown a downward trend over the past twenty years, with small increases in between, and currently it is again slightly on the increase. At the same time, the average milk yield per cow has steadily increased. In 2017 the average milk yield per cow was 9,159 kilograms, i.e. 281 kilograms more than in 2016.
At the end of 2017 there were 284,500 pigs and 86,800 sheep and goats in Estonia. The number of pigs increased by 7%, the number of sheep and goats decreased by 4% compared to 2016. At the end of the year there were 2.2 million poultry, which is 3% more than at the end of 2016.
In 2017 the production of eggs amounted to 202.5 million, which is 2% more than in 2016. 106,200 tons (live weight) of livestock and poultry were sold for slaughter (including for exports) and slaughtered. The production of meat (live weight) decreased by 9% compared to the previous year. The production of beef, pork, mutton and goat meat decreased, while the production of poultry meat increased. (ERR/Business World Magazine)