September 22, 2006

Russian pig, sheep numbers up; cattle down on-year

The number of pigs in Russia as of Sep 1 was 15.8 million, an increase of 7.1 percent on the year, while the number of cattle in the country fell by 5.1 percent to 9.5 million, the Agriculture Ministry said in a statement Thursday (Sep 21).

The number of sheep and goats on Sep 1 was 20.7 million, 4.7 percent more than on Sep 1, 2005.

Pig breeding is expanding in Russia, with considerable investment going into new farms, while the cattle industry is declining as it is not as profitable as pig breeding.

Russia's total slaughter of cattle, pigs and poultry for meat in January-August increased by 4 percent on year to 4.2 million tonnes.