Cattle herds stabilize in Central Europe

Published Nov 5, 2024

Tridge summary

A recent USDA GAIN report has highlighted a distinct trend in dairy and beef cow herd numbers between Western and Central Europe. Western Europe is witnessing a decline in cow numbers due to the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), which favors small cattle farmers in Central Europe. Poland, in particular, is experiencing a boost in its cattle farming sector, with a growing dairy herd and a thriving beef sector, thanks to increased demand and imports of cattle from neighboring countries. There's a noticeable shift towards beef production in Central Europe due to dairy farming's higher intensity, with Romania and the Balkan countries (Croatia, Bulgaria, and Greece) seeing an uptick in beef cow numbers. The report also underscores the sector's tendency towards commercialization and efficiency improvement.
Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

The trend of the dairy and beef cow herd numbers differ between Western and Central Europe, according to a recent US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) report. While in Western Europe significant reductions are reported, both the dairy and beef cow herds are stabilising in Central Europe. This difference is mainly caused by the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) of the EU. In most western EU Member States, the farmer’s income is pre-dominantly based on the farmed hectares. While in Central Europe, CAP support is provided specifically to small cattle farmers. The economic and policy climate for cattle farming is particularly positive in Poland. The Polish dairy sector is restructuring and further building its dairy herd, phasing out the less efficient and older cows. While the Polish beef sector is benefitting from the increased beef prices, and the improving demand in EU as well as non-EU markets. To fulfil this demand, the sector is ...

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