According to statistics, in Germany there were not only fewer livestock breeders than several years ago, but the number of livestock was also significantly reduced.
German farmers react to political rules and social debate, gradually abandoning livestock.
According to rural residents, this trend is confirmed by data from a survey of farm structure, as well as cattle censuses and estimates by the German Farmers Association.
The farmer’s organization associates this trend with pressure from regulatory authorities and a weak market position in international competition. Last but not least, community criticism of agriculture also forces animal owners to abandon their business.
The official census of livestock with the latest data as of May 3, 2019 gives slightly more relevant information, according to which now in Germany there are not only fewer livestock breeders, but the livestock itself has also been significantly reduced.
The dairy herd with 4.07 million animals reached its lowest level since May 2008. The number of pigs has also been steadily declining since 2015 and currently stands at 26 million animals.
Reducing the number of sows is even faster. Between 2005 and 2019 there was a decrease of 2.54 million animals to the current level of 1.81 million. At present, the number of sheep has also been greatly reduced.
