Lower meat production for third quarter

Meat production was down by three per cent in the third quarter this year, compared to the same period last year, the National Statistics Office said yesterday.

Total meat production amounted to 4,217 tonnes in the third quarter of this year. Of these, 3,562 tonnes (84.5 per cent) were slaughtered in licensed slaughterhouses in Malta and the remaining 655 tonnes (15.5 per cent) were slaughtered in Gozo.

The carcass weight of broiler slaughterings went up 11.3 per cent. This was due to an increase in both the number of heads slaughtered and to an increase in the average carcass weight.

While an increase of 49,144 broilers were slaughtered over the same quarter of 2002, the average carcass weight of broilers increased from 1.41kg to 1.50kg.

On the other hand, the total carcass weight of cattle and pig slaughters was down by 6.3 per cent and 11.3 per cent respectively. The number of heads of cattle and pigs slaughtered registered a drop of 4.6 per cent and 9.6 per cent respectively.

In the first nine months of the year, total meat production at the licensed slaughterhouses amounted to 13,914 tonnes, yielding a total producer value of Lm9.4 million. When compared to the same period last year, the total meat production of the main animals slaughtered increased by 555 tonnes, or 4.2 per cent, from 13,359 tonnes.

The carcass weight of pig and cattle slaughterings was down by 3.1 per cent and 12.9 per cent respectively while the carcass weight of broilers slaughtered went up by 20.8 per cent.

In the January - September period of 2003, the average carcass weight increased by 14.3 per cent, from 1.4 kilograms/broiler to 1.6kg/broiler.