Agriculture - 2. quarter of 2008

It was produced 152 143 tonnes of meat in carcass weight in the 2nd quarter of 2008. This amount included 51.8% of pig meat, 13.2% of beef incl. veal and 35.0% of poultry meat. Meat production in total went down by 2.5% and milk collection dropped by 0.7% y-o-y.



Slaughter and meat production

Numbers of slaughtered cattle incl. calves increased by 2.2% y-o-y. Average carcass weight of cattle stand on the level of the same period of the previous year (295.9 kg). Beef production inc. veal increased by 2.2% y-o-y.

Numbers of slaughtered pigs went down by 6.9% y-o-y whereas their average carcass weight stand on the level of the 2nd quarter of 2007 and totaled 87.4 kg (87.5 kg in the 2nd quarter of 2007). As a result of decrease in pig slaughter, pig meat production went down by 7.1% y-o-y.

For poultry meat an increase in production by 3.3% y-o-y was recorded.



Cattle, pigs and poultry numbers

According to the livestock census as of 1st April 2008, cattle population increased by 0.7% to 1, 401.6 thous. heads. Of which cow numbers went up by 0.7% to 568.7 thous. heads as a result of increase in suckler cow numbers by 5.7% (to 163.2 thous. heads).

Pig numbers dropped by 14.0% to 2, 433.0 thous. heads y-o-y, of which sow numbers went down by 20.3% to 179.3 thous. heads.

Poultry numbers increased by 11.1% to 27.3 mill. heads y-o-y, of which hen numbers went up by 0.3% to 6.3 mill. heads.


Agricultural producers’ prices of cattle, pigs and chicken for slaughter

Agricultural producers’ prices of cattle for slaughter declined by 3.4% for bulls for slaughter and by 1.2 % for calves for slaughter in the 2nd quarter of 2008. On the contrary prices of heifers for slaughter went up by 4.0% and prices of cows for slaughter increased by 0.5% y-o-y. Average price of bulls for slaughter the S, E, U-quality reached CZK 39.17 per kilogram in live weight and CZK 73.99 per kilogram in carcass weight.

Prices of pigs started climbing significantly throughout the 2nd quarter of 2008 compared to the same period of the previous year. Agricultural producers’ prices of pigs for slaughter went up by 9.2% y-o-y. Average price of pigs for slaughter the S, E, U - quality rose on level of CZK 29.72 per kilogram in live weight and CZK 39.18 per kilogram in carcass weight.

Prices of the 1st-quality chicken for slaughter rose by 17.8% y-o-y. Average price of 1st-quality chicken totaled CZK 23.54 per kilogram in live weight.




Foreign trade ^{1 )} in meat and live animals

According to preliminary results, foreign trade ¹⁾ in meat ended in a passive trade balance 1,843 tonnes for beef, 24,128 tonnes for pig meat and 9,210 tonnes for poultry meat in the period from the 1st March of 2008 to the 31st May of 2008.

Beef imports went up 4.5times (by 2,563 tonnes) and exports increased almost 13times (by 1 321 tonnes) y-o-y. Beef was imported predominantly from Poland (25%), Germany (21%) and to a lesser extent from Slovakia (17%) and Austria (14%). Exports went primarily to Austria (40%), Slovakia (30%) and to a lesser extent to Poland (16%) and Germany (8%).

Imports of pig meat went up by 5,7% (by 1,714 tonnes) and exports increased by 17.5% (by 1,176 tonnes) y-o-y. Pig meat was imported largely from Germany (45%), Austria (18%), the Netherlands (9%), Spain (7%) and Poland (6%). Meat was exported predominantly to Slovakia (84%).

Poultry meat imports increased by 13.8% (by 1,717 tonnes) and exports went up by 5.4% (by 255 tonnes) y-o-y. Poultry meat was imported largely from Poland (39%), Brazil (22%) and Germany (12%). Meat was exported predominantly to Slovakia (47%), Germany (18%) and Hungary (14%).

Foreign trade ¹⁾ in live animals ended in active trade balance: 10,835 tonnes for cattle, 2,940 tonnes for pigs and 7,858 tonnes for poultry.

Imports of live cattle decreased by 2.1% (by 13 tonnes) whereas exports went up by 46.0% (by 3,606 tonnes) y-o-y. Live cattle were imported largely from Slovakia (66%) and Germany (23%). Imports went firstly to Austria (51%) and Germany (24%).

Pig imports increased by 16.6% (by 270 tonnes) and went up by 21.2% (by 846 tonnes) y-o-y. Live pigs were imported from the Netherlands (45%), Germany (28%) and Denmark (25%). Pig exports were destined predominantly for Slovakia (56%), Hungary (22%) and Germany (11%).

Imports in live poultry decreased by 18.0% (by 240 tonnes) and exports went down by 10.1% (by 1,006 tonnes) y-o-y. Live poultry were imported predominantly from Slovakia (75%) and Hungary (14%), exports went to Germany (49%), Poland (31%) and Slovakia (13%).


Milk collection and agricultural producers’ prices of milk

Milk collected to dairies totaled 609.2 millions litres in the 2nd quarter of 2008, which was less by 0.7% in comparison to the same period of the previous year.




Average price of the Q-quality milk rose by 18.3% y-o-y and totaled CZK 9.21 per liter.

Foreign trade ¹⁾ in milk and milk products

According to preliminary results, foreign trade ¹⁾ in milk and milk products ended in active trade balance 132.9 thous. tonnes in the period from the 1st March of 2008 to the 31st May of 2008 due to a high amount of raw milk exports (incl. cream). Imports of milk and milk products went down by 9.9% (by 8.1 thous. tonnes) and exports increased by 0.7% (by 1.4 thous. tonnes) y-o-y. Milk and milk products were imported predominantly from Slovakia (49%), Germany (26%), Poland (17%) and exported largely to Germany (63%) and Slovakia (15%).


¹⁾ For Intra-Community trade excl. data under Intrastat statistics threshold (annual value of goods - CZK 2 mil. for receipt, CZK 4 mil. for dispatch)


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Methodical note:
Contact person: Jiří Hrbek, phone 27405 2331, e-mail: jiri.hrbek@csu.gov.cz
Source: full survey on livestock slaughter carried out by the Czech Statistical Office, Agricultural Producer Price Indices in June of 2008 (CZSO).
Milk collection and purchase of poultry – survey conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture.
Date of completing data collection: 10 July 2008
Date of completing data processing: 22 July 2008
Published data are final with exception of foreign trade data.
Following tables: /katalog-produktu