Agriculture - 1. quarter of 2007

It was produced 153 065 tonnes of meat in carcass weight in the 1st quarter 2007. This amount included 55.1% of pig meat, 13.1% of beef incl. veal and 31.8% of poultry meat. In spite of a moderate recovery in beef (incl. veal)- and pig meat production the total meat production went down by 2.1% due to a decrease in poultry meat production by 10.9%. Milk collection increased by 1.4% compared to the 1st quarter 2006.
Meat production and slaughter

Numbers of cattle for slaughter incl. calves increased by 0.1% y-o-y, of which bull numbers went up by 8.6%. The average carcass weight of cattle went up by 1.0% to 293.1 kg. As a result, beef production inc. veal increased by 1.1% y-o-y.

Numbers of pigs for slaughter went up by 1.6% y-o-y and their average carcass weight increased by 1.4% to 88.6 kg. Pig meat production increased by 2.9% y-o-y.

It was recorded a decrease in poultry meat production by 10.9% y-o-y.

Results of cattle, pigs and poultry rearing

According to results of animal products statistics cattle numbers increased by 2.8% to 1 390 ths heads y-o-y as of the 31st December 2006. Cow numbers went up by 1.6% to 568 ths heads, of which numbers of dairy cows went down by 4.5% to 417 ths heads. On the contrary suckler cow numbers went up by 23.4% to 151 ths heads y-o-y. Numbers of calves for slaughter less than 1 year old increase significantly – by 16% (to 63 ths heads) y-o-y.

Pig numbers dropped by 3.0% y-o-y as of the 1st December 2006, of which numbers of piglets went down by 10.9% and sow numbers decreased by 1.3%. On the opposite gilt numbers went up by 5.3% y-o-y. Numbers of born piglets per sow increased by 1.4% y-o-y (to 19.5 heads) in 2006.

Numbers of poultry went up by 2.2% to 23 464 ths heads as of the 31st December 2006 y-o-y. On the contrary hen numbers went down by 6.0% to 5 824 ths heads.

Agricultural producer prices of cattle, pigs and chicken for slaughter

Prices of agricultural producers of cattle for slaughter declined in all categories in the 1st quarter 2007 except f or prices of cows for slaughter (+1.7%). Prices of bulls for slaughter went down by 1.1%, heifers for slaughter by 1.5% and calves for slaughter by 0.1% y-o-y. The average price of bulls for slaughter EU-quality reached CZK 40.61 per kilogram in live weight and CZK 77.23 per kilogram in carcass weight.

Prices of agricultural producers of pigs for slaughter went down by 8.8% y-o-y. The average price of pigs the EU -quality reached CZK 27.31 per kilogram in live weight and CZK 35.69 per kilogram in carcass weight.

Prices of agricultural producers of chicken for slaughter the 1st-quality decreased by 2.6% y-o-y. The average price of chicken for slaughter mentioned quality reached CZK 19.38 per kilogram in live weight.

Foreign trade in meat and live animals

According to preliminary results foreign trade ¹⁾ in meat ended in a passive trade balance 3 376 tonnes for beef, 22 146 tonnes for pig meat and 6 222 tonnes for poultry meat in the period from the 1st December 2006 to the 28th February 2007.
Beef imports went up by 18.9% and exports increased by 88.7% y-o-y. Beef was imported predominantly from Poland (33%), Germany 20%), Austria (18%) and exported primarily to Slovakia (41%) and Austria (23%). Imports of pig meat went up by 1% and exports increased by 9% y-o-y. Pig meat was imported largely from Germany (38%), Poland (21%), Austria (17%) and exported to Slovakia (83%).
Poultry meat imports decreased by 29% whereas exports increased by 24% y-o-y. Poultry meat was imported largely from Poland (33%), Brazil (18%), Hungary (18%), Germany (15%) and exported predominantly to Slovakia (56%) and Germany (20%).

Foreign trade ¹⁾ in live animals ended in active trade balance 9 431 tonnes for cattle, 3 050 tonnes for pigs and 6 692 tonnes for poultry. Imports of live cattle increased by 18% and exports went up by 16% y-o-y. Live cattle were imported largely from Slovakia (68%) and to a lesser extent from Romania (18%) and Germany (15%). Imports went to Austria (45%) and Germany (20%).
Pig exports decreased by 0.8%, whereas exports increased by 22% y-o-y. Live pigs were imported from Denmark (34%), the Netherlands (26%), Germany (22%) and Slovakia (16%). Exports of pigs were destined predominantly for Slovakia (45%) and Germany (42%).
Imports of live poultry decreased by 71.4% while exports went up by 3% y-o-y. Live poultry were imported predominantly from Slovakia (95%) and exported to Germany (52%) and Poland (36%).

Milk collection and prices of milk producers

Milk collected to dairies stand at 590.9 mil litres in the 1st quarter 2007. Milk collection increased by 1.4% compared to the same period of the previous year.

Prices of milk agricultural producers declined by 3.8% y-o-y. The average price of the Q-quality milk reached CZK 7.81 per liter.

Foreign trade milk and milk products

Foreign trade ¹⁾ in milk and milk products ended in active trade balance 124.5 ths tonnes in the period from the 1st December 2006 to the 28th February 2007 due to a high amount of raw milk exports (incl. cream). Imports of milk and milk products went up by 9.5% and exports increased by 34.6% y-o-y. Milk and milk products were imported predominantly from Slovakia (44%), Germany (29%), Poland (19%) and exported to Germany (57%) and Slovakia (17%).

1) In the frame of EU trade excluding data under threshold of Intrastat statistics

---

Methodical note:
Contact person: Jiří Hrbek, phone 27405 2331, e-mail: jiri.hrbek@csu.gov.cz
Source: full survey carried out by the Czech Statistical Office, Agricultural Producer Price Indices in March 2007 (CZSO).
Milk collection and purchase of poultry – survey conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture.
Date of completing data collection: 10 April 2007
Date of completing data processing: 24 April 2007
These data are final.

Text not edited for language