Cattle population shows the EU still needs tanners
Official statistics from the European Union put the cattle population in the 27 member states at a collective total of 73.8 million head at the end of 2023.
This figure, which includes provisional numbers for several countries, represents a fall of 1.3% compared to the total for the previous year.
France remains the EU member country with, by some distance, the largest cattle population, with 16.8 million head at the end of 2023. It is followed by Germany with 10.8 million head, Ireland with 6.5 million, Poland with 6.4 million, Spain with just under 6.3 million and Italy with just under 6 million.
Each of these countries registered a small decrease year on year. France’s total was down by 1%, Germany’s by 1.4%, Ireland’s by 0.4%, Poland’s by 0.2%, Spain’s by 2.5% and Italy’s by 0.8%.
