EU: Livestock sector expected to decline slightly in 2024

EU cattle production is forecast to reach 12.1 million HEAD in the second half of 2024 . This represents a decrease of 1% compared to the same period in 2023, when 12.2 million animals were produced. France is forecast to remain the largest beef producer in the second half of 2024 with 2.7 million head, ahead of Germany (2.0 million), Spain (1.3 million) and Ireland (1.0 million).

Sheep production is forecast to be 7% lower in the second half of 2024 to 15.6 million head, and goat production is forecast to be 9% lower to 2.4 million head. Among EU countries, Spain is expected to become the largest small cattle producer in the second half of 2024 with over 4.5 million animals, followed by Romania (2.6 million) and Greece (2.1 million).