Despite Decline in Hanwoo and Calf Farm Gate Prices, Total Livestock Numbers Increase

In the first quarter of this year, the number of Korean beef cattle and laying hens increased, while the number of dairy cows, pigs, broilers, and ducks decreased.

On the 20th, Statistics Korea announced the results of the "2023 First Quarter Livestock Trend Survey" containing this information.

The number of Korean beef cattle raised was 3,591,000, an increase of 34,000 heads (0.9%) compared to the same period last year. Although the number of cattle under one year old decreased due to a drop in calf farm prices, the number of cattle aged two years and older increased due to the accumulated number of raised cattle. In fact, the farm price of a male calf aged 6 to 7 months was 2.88 million won from December last year to February this year, which is 1.03 million won (26.3%) lower than a year ago.

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The number of dairy cows raised was 385,000, a decrease of 12,000 heads (-3.0%) compared to the same period last year.

The number of pigs raised was 11,111,000, a decrease of 58,000 heads (-0.5%) compared to the same period last year, due to the outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) and other factors.

On the other hand, the number of laying hens raised was 73,684,000, an increase of 3,256,000 heads (4.6%) compared to the same period last year. This was because the number of laying hens aged six months or older increased due to the rise in the number of chicks introduced from March to September last year.

The number of ducks raised was 4,823,000, a decrease of 884,000 heads (-15.5%) compared to the same period last year. This was due to the damage caused by avian influenza and the extension of the raising restriction period in some regions, which reduced the number of meat ducks raised.

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