Romania ranked third in sheep and goat herds in 2019

By Edwig Ban
Romania ranked 3rd in the hierarchy of European Union (EU) member states, in 2019, in sheep and goat herds, while at national level the number of pigs, sheep and goats and poultry increased, according to the data National Institute of Statistics (INS), published on Friday.
Official statistics show that, on December 1, 2019, compared to the same period in 2018, the total number of cattle decreased by 2.7%.
On the other hand, the total number of pigs increased by 0.8%, and the number of ewes (sows) decreased by 0.9%, while increases are still recorded in the total number of sheep and goats (+ 1.8%), as well as for the herd (sheep, sheep and goats) – by 0.5%.
At the same time, the total number of adult birds increased by 2%, and the number of laying birds by 10.1%, at a comparative level.
According to the quoted source, compared to the period 2006 – 2019, the cattle herds decreased permanently, and from 2006 to 2011 they reached 1.988 million heads.
At the same time, from 2011 to 2019, cattle herds remained at an approximately constant level, representing, last year, 65.6% compared to 2006.
On the other hand, constant decreases were reported in the number of pigs, which, in 2019, reached 58.1% compared to 2006.
INS data show that, during the analyzed period, the number of sheep and goats started to increase, reaching a level of 11.923 million heads last year, by 41.8% more than in 2006.
Regarding Romania’s position in the EU on the animal segment, cattle was in tenth place, after France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, Ireland, Italy, Poland, the Netherlands and Belgium.
In terms of density per 100 hectares of land, our country ranked 20th out of the 22 countries presented, followed by Greece and Bulgaria.
In terms of pig herds, Romania ranked tenth in the EU, after Spain, Germany, France, Denmark, the Netherlands, Poland, Italy, Belgium and the United Kingdom, while relative to the density per 100 hectares of land. ranked 18th out of the 22 countries presented, followed by Slovakia, Greece, Lithuania and Bulgaria.