Slaughter Animals and Meat Production

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Food Industry, Business Statistics
Mona Larsen

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Slaughter Animals and Meat Production 2024

The purpose of slaughter animals and meat production is to show the size and value of total production of animals for slaughtering and meat. The statistics are used, among other things, to follow the Danish production of slaughter animals and meat in the slaughterhouses. The statistics have a long history and the key figures covering the past 100 years are comparable. During the 1920s and 1930s the statistics were improved and since the Second World War there has been adequate statistics in this area, but is in its present form comparable from 1990 to the year, while the monthly figures are from 1995 onwards.

Statistical presentation

The statistics on slaughter animals and meat production are published as monthly and annual statements of slaughtering at slaughterhouses, distributed by cattle, pigs, sheep and lambs, poultry and horses. Information on the number of animals slaughtered and live exported animals as well as the production of meat (amount of edible meat in kg). The statistics also provide data on a wide range of prices and price quotations. Among other things average prices per kg slaughtered weight and sales value in mill. DKK for the individual categories of animals. The statistics are only calculated for Denmark as a whole.

Statistical processing

The statistics on slaughtering of animals cover all slaughtered animals by Danish slaughterhouses distributed by cattle, pigs, sheep and lambs, poultry and horses. The statistics are broken down by category of animals. To this is added the external trade statistics providing data on live animals. The statistics provide information on the number of slaughtered and live animals exported and meat production (the quantity of edible meat in kg). The figures on production only cover meat for human consumption. The statistics also provide data on a wide range of prices and price quotations.

Relevance

The purpose of these statistics are to show the size and value of the production of animals for slaughtering and meat production. The statistics is of great interest to agricultural organizations, the Ministry of Environment and Food and the EU. The figures is used intern in Statistics Denmark to estimate quantity and price index, and the Account for Agriculture, which is included in the National Accounts. Data on slaughtering are delivered every month to Euro stat.

Accuracy and reliability

It is mandatory for farmers to report which animals leave the property and where they come. At the same time, it is mandatory for slaughters to register all animals that are slaughtered. In the slaughterhouses, the slaughter weight, the assessment of the carcase, etc. the register of each animal, which includes used to settle the animal. The calculation of prices and values is based both on actual a conto prices and partly on estimates of the anticipated down payment paid by the cooperatives and only realized after the end of the year and can thus cause uncertainty about the accrual.

Timeliness and punctuality

Data are published 1½ months after the end of the reference period for monthly and quarterly figures, while annual figures are published approx. 4-5 months after the end of the reference period. The statistics are normally published without delay in relation to the scheduled date.

Comparability

Every month and year figures are submitted to the statistical office of EU, Euro stat. Data for all EU countries can be found at Eurostat homepage. The statistics are produced following the principles of an EU regulation, so the results are comparable.

Accessibility and clarity

These statistics are published in a Danish press release, at the same time as the tables are updated in the StatBank. Annual figures are included in Statistical Yearbook until 2017 and Statistical Ten-Year review Old data are included in yearly publication Landbrug (Explaining, methodological text is only in Danish) and Landbrugsstatistik 1900-1965