Summary
Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union (EU), aims to provide high-quality statistics and data on Europe. In partnership with National Statistical Institutes and other national authorities in EU Member States, Eurostat produces European statistics through the European Statistical System (ESS). Eurostat’s comprehensive range of statistics includes data on various aspects of agriculture, such as the structure of farms, economic accounts for agriculture, agricultural prices and indices, agricultural production, organic farming, and the intersection of agriculture and the environment.
A subset of data is available within the meat and livestock data for various bovine animals slaughtered (i.e., calves, bullocks, bulls, heifers and cows) in slaughterhouses. The information covers the years 2014 to 2022 and focuses on different EU members. The measurements are reported in thousand tons (carcass weight) and heads.
Slaughterhouses are defined as “registered and approved establishments used for slaughtering and dressing animals whose meat is intended for human consumption.” Eurostat notes that all slaughterhouses are included in countries in which the “hygiene package” (the hygiene rules adopted by the European Parliament and the Council) is not fully implemented, but slaughterhouses can nevertheless produce for the local market.
Eurostat also offers a user-friendly data visualization tool featuring line graphs, bar graphs, and a geographic map to easily track and explore the trends and changes over time.