Pigmeat decline causes meat production drop in Malta

Meat production in Malta dropped 3.8% in the first half of 2016, compared to the same period in 2015, figures from the National Statistics Office have revealed. 

The decline was driven by lower pigmeat production (-10.4%) which in turn was caused by a 9.2% drop in the number of slaughtered pigs.

This reduction was offset by growth in production of beef and broiler meat, up 13% and 1% respectively.

Beef production was bolstered by a 12.4% rise in the number of slaughtered cattle, while broiler meat production benefitted from a 5.1% rise in the average carcase weight, despite the number of slaughtered broilers dropping by 4.1%.

The producer value of animals slaughtered at licensed slaughterhouses amounted to €10.4m (£8.9m) in the six-month period, down 5.9% year on year. This was due to a 13.1% fall in the producer value recorded for pigmeat.

However, the producer value of beef and broiler meat advanced by 6.8% and 2.2 % respectively.