RLAL2301
Last year annual average milk purchase price grew by 48 %
Provisional data compiled by the Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia show that in 2022 the annual average purchase price of raw milk grew by 153 EUR/t or 48.2 % reaching 471 EUR/t.
The lowest average purchase price of raw milk was recorded in January (417 EUR/t) and the highest in August (498 EUR/t). Gradual price reduction started in September, and it had dropped to 483 EUR/t in December.
In 2022 total raw milk (including goat milk) output constituted 975.3 thousand t, which is 16.9 thousand t or 1.7 % fewer than in 2021. Out of the total volume of raw milk produced, 810.9 thousand t or 83.3 % were purchased by milk procurement and processing enterprises (812.6 thousand t or 82.1 % in 2021).
Slight upturn in the milk production was observed in Vidzeme (of 2.3 thousand t or 0.9 %) while the sharpest downturn in Latgale (7.8 thousand t or 4.0 %).
Number of dairy cows kept declining – from 131.2 thousand at the end of 2021 to 127.8 thousand at the end of 2022 or by 2.6 %. The most notable drop in the number of dairy cows was recorded in agricultural holdings keeping 5 dairy cows or fewer (of 1.4 thousand or 11.4 %) while in holdings keeping 300 dairy cows or more it grew by 1.9 thousand or 6.1 %. Downturn in the dairy cow number was observed in all regions; the most dramatic in Zemgale – of 0.9 thousand.
The average milk yield per dairy cow grew by 130 kg or 1.8 %, reaching 7 492 kg annually.
Output of pork, poultry and goat meat went up and of beef and veal down
In 2022 meat output in Latvia was growing: 94.2 thousand t of meat were produced, which is 0.8 thousand t or 0.8 % more than in 2021. An upturn was registered in the output of pork (2.3 %), poultry (2.2 %), mutton and goat meat (1.0 %), while output of beef and veal fell by 6.5 %.
Regional breakdown of the data shows the highest meat output increase in Kurzeme (of 0.5 thousand t or 6.3 %) and largest reduction in Latgale (0.6 thousand t or 8.4 %).
Output of livestock products
2021 | 20222 | Change, % (2022/2021) | |
Meat (slaughter weight), thousand t | 93.4 | 94.2 | 0.8 |
beef and veal | 17.0 | 15.9 | -6.5 |
pork | 37.8 | 38.7 | 2.3 |
mutton and goat meat | 0.8 | 0.9 | 1.0 |
poultry | 37.6 | 38.4 | 2.2 |
other | 0.1 | 0.3 | 78.7 |
Raw milk (incl. goat milk), thousand t | 992.2 | 975.3 | -1.7 |
Eggs, million pcs | 825.6 | 872.2 | 5.6 |
Pork and poultry took the largest share of the meat output. The greatest increase was registered in the share of poultry – from 34.7 % in 2015 to 40.8 % in 2022. The share of pork in the total meat output fell to 41.1 % (42.0 % in 2015) while of beef and veal to 16.9 % (22.0 % in 2015).
Upturn in cattle and downturn in pig exports
In 2022, compared to the year before, the number of exported live cattle grew by 4.1 thousand or 6.7 %. The number of imported cattle fell by 2.2 thousand or 48.0 %.
The number of exported live pigs dropped by 16.1 thousand or 7.8 %. Piglets for fattening accounted for 69.3 % of all exported pigs (73.8 % in 2021). The number of imported pigs reduced by 25.5 thousand or 27.4 %.
The number of exported live sheep decreased by 7.0 %.
More detailed statistics for livestock imports and exports is available in the official statistics portal section Foreign trade in goods.
Pig number dropped by 5.8 %
At the end of 2022, compared to the year before, the number of pigs and sheep fell by 19.1 thousand or 5.8 % and 3.0 thousand or 3.3 %, respectively.
Cattle number reduced slightly – from 393.5 thousand at the end of 2021 to 391.4 thousand at the end of 2022 (drop of 2.1 thousand or 0.5 %).
The number of goats and horses, in turn, grew slightly – by 2.5 % and 3.3 %, respectively.
Livestock number
(thousand, at the end of the year)
20211 | 20221, 2 | Change, % (2022/2021) | |
Cattle | 393.5 | 391.4 | -0.5 |
dairy cows | 131.2 | 127.8 | -2.6 |
other cows | 61.4 | 62.9 | 2.4 |
Pigs | 327.0 | 307.9 | -5.8 |
Sheep | 90.3 | 87.3 | -3.3 |
Goats | 11.4 | 11.7 | 2.5 |
Horses | 8.4 | 8.7 | 3.3 |
Poultry | 5 857.7 | 5 744.3 | -1.9 |
laying hens | 3 395.2 | 3 343.5 | -1.5 |
Egg output up by 5.6 %
At the end of 2022 the number of laying hens dropped by 51.7 thousand or 1.5 %. During the year, 872.2 million eggs were produced, which is 46.6 million or 5.6 % more than in 2021. Hens’ eggs accounted for 98 % of all eggs produced (97 % in 2021). One laying hen on average produced 307 eggs, which is 2.7 % more than in 2021.
Methodological explanations
1 Cattle, pig, sheep, goat, horse and poultry numbers of are based on the Animal Register of the Agricultural Data Centre.
2 Provisional data.
Media requests:
Communication Section
E-mail: media@csp.gov.lv
Phone: +371 67366989, +371 27880666
More information on data:
Lolita Lazda-Lazdiņa
Agricultural Statistics Section
E-mail: Lolita.Lazda@csp.gov.lv
Phone: +371 67366982
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