Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning meat and livestock statistics
Date: 2007-03-22
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: agricultural census, agricultural statistics, livestock, meat, statistical method

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 22.3.2007 
COM(2007) 129 final 

2007/0051 (COD) 

Proposal for a 

REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL  

concerning meat and livestock statistics 

(presented by the Commission) 

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EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM 

1)  CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL 

120 

•  Grounds for and objectives of the proposal 

Statistics on meat and livestock are essential for the management of the EU markets. 
The  current  legislation  had  become  so  complex  that  both  vertical  and  horizontal 
codification was envisaged, but this did not appear to be the most efficient way towards 
better  legislation.  It  was  also  considered  essential  for  poultry  meat  statistics  to  be 
covered in addition to pig, bovine, sheep and goat meat statistics. 

•  General context 

The present proposal is in line with the objectives of better legislation, simplification, 
and reduction of the burden on respondents. 

130 

•  Existing provisions 

The current proposal is designed to simplify the current provisions and adapt them to 
the  new  needs  of  the  European  Union.  The  existing  legislation,  Council  Directive 
93/23/EEC of 1 June 1993 on the statistical surveys to be carried out on pig production, 
Council Directive 93/24/EEC of 1 June 1993 on the statistical surveys to be carried out 
on bovine animal production and Council Directive 93/25/EEC of 1 June 1993 on the 
statistical  surveys  to  be  carried  out  on  sheep  and  goat  stocks,  should  therefore  be 
repealed. 

140 

•  Consistency with the other policies and objectives of the Union 

The  statistics  concerned  by  this  proposal  are  essential  for  the  management  and 
evaluation of the common agricultural policy. 

The proposed Regulation is according to the Commission's new political approach to 
the  simplification  of  legislation  and  better  regulation  as  referred  to  in  the 
Communications of 14 November 2006 on "a strategic review of Better Regulation in 
the  European  Union"1  and  on  "reduction  of  the  response  burden,  simplification  and 
priority-setting in the field of Community statistics"2. It is one of the fast track actions 
identified  in  Annex  III  of  the  Communication  of  24  January  2007  on  an  "action 
programme for reducing administrative burdens in the European Union"3. 

1 

2 

3 

Communication from the Commission to the Council, to the European Parliament, European Economic 
and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions COM(2006) 689 final : "A strategic review of 
Better Regulation in the European Union". 
Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council "on reduction of the 
response burden, simplification and priority-setting in the field of Community statistics" (COM(2006) 
693 final). 
Communication from the Commission to the Council, to the European Parliament, European Economic 
and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions COM(2007) 23 final : "Action Programme for 
Reducing Administrative Burdens in the European Union". 

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2)  CONSULTATION OF INTERESTED PARTIES AND IMPACT ASSESSMENT 

•  Consultation of interested parties 

211 

Consultation methods, main sectors targeted and general profile of respondents 

The proposal has been discussed with data producers (representatives of the National 
Statistical  Institutes)  and  Commission  services  (DG  AGRI)  through  Working  Groups 
and the Standing Committee for Agricultural Statistics (SCAS). 

212 

Summary of responses and how they have been taken into account 

The current proposal is the result of quite intensive negotiations between all interested 
parties. 

•  Collection and use of expertise 

221 

Expertise concerned 

The national representatives in the meetings of DG Eurostat's Working Group "Animal 
Product  Statistics"  were  experts  with  knowledge  of  the  existing  legislation  and  the 
national  systems  for  collecting  and  compiling  animal  product  statistics.  The 
Commission officials included experts on policy analysis. 

223 

Main organisations/experts consulted 

The experts were from the National Statistical Institutes and DG AGRI. The Standing 
Committee  for  Agriculture  Statistics  and  its  working  group  "Animal  Statistics"  were 
heavily involved and consulted. 

2249 

Summary of advice received and used 

225 

226 

230 

A very positive and supportive response was noted. The existence of potentially serious 
risks with irreversible consequences was not mentioned. 

Since the current proposal represents a major simplification of the existing legislation, 
no risks were identified. 

Means used to make the expert advice publicly available 

The  working  documents  and  minutes  of  the  meetings  of  the  SCAS  and  the  working 
group are available through CIRCA. 

•  Impact assessment 

The current proposal is a simplification of existing legislation.  

No information campaign and no financial incentives were considered appropriate. 

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3)  LEGAL ELEMENTS OF THE PROPOSAL 

310 

•  Summary of the proposed action 

The objective of this regulation is the provision by the EU Member States of statistics 
on  livestock  (twice  a  year  on  pigs  and  bovine  animals  and  every  year  on  sheep  and 
goats), monthly statistics on slaughterings (heads and carcass weights of pigs, bovine 
animals, sheep, goats and poultry), and forecasts of meat production (pig meat, bovine 
meat, sheep and goat meat). 

•  Legal basis 

Article  285  of  the  Treaty  establishing  the  European  Community  provides  the  legal 
basis for Community statistics. The Council, acting in accordance with the codecision 
procedure,  adopts  measures  for  the  production  of  statistics  where  necessary  for  the 
performance of the activities of the Community. This Article sets out the requirements 
relating  to  the  production  of  Community  statistics,  stating  that  they  must  conform  to 
standards  of  impartiality,  reliability,  objectivity,  scientific  independence,  cost-
effectiveness and statistical confidentiality. 

320 

•  Subsidiarity principle 

The objectives of this proposal, namely the establishment of a common framework for 
the  systematic  production  of  Community  statistics  on  livestock  and  meat  production, 
cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States. 

They can be better achieved at Community level on the basis of a Community legal act, 
because only the Commission can coordinate the necessary harmonisation of statistical 
information  at  Community  level,  whereas  the  collection  of  data  and  compilation  of 
comparable  statistics  on  livestock  and  meat  production  can  be  organised  by  the 
Member  States.  The  Community  may  therefore  take  action  to  this  end  in  accordance 
with the principle of subsidiary as set out in Article 5 of the Treaty. 

•  Proportionality principle 

The proposal complies with the proportionality principle for the following reasons. 

In  accordance  with  the  principle  of  proportionality,  this  Regulation  confines  itself  to 
the  minimum  required  to  achieve  its  objective  and  does  not  go  beyond  what  is 
necessary  for  that  purpose.  This  Regulation  does  not  specify  the  data  collection 
mechanisms for each Member State, but merely defines the data to be supplied so as to 
ensure a harmonised structure and timing. 

There  is  no  obligation  for  the  Member  States  to  make  any  changes  in  their 
administrative systems relating to the production of meat and livestock statistics. The 
only new item proposed for data collection in this Regulation is for poultry, which is 
already being implemented at EU level under a gentleman’s agreement. 

332 

The requirement for statistics instead of survey results, the reduced frequency of some 
data submissions and the possibility to make greater use of sources other than surveys 

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(e.g. administrative sources) should reduce the financial and administrative burden on 
national authorities. 

•  Choice of instruments 

Proposed instrument: Regulation. 

Other means would not be adequate for the following reasons. 

The selection of the appropriate instrument depends on the legislative goal. Given the 
information needs at European level, the trend for Community statistics has been to use 
regulations  rather  than  directives  for  basic  acts.  A  regulation  is  preferable  because  it 
lays down the same law throughout the Community, leaving the Member States with 
no leeway to apply it incompletely or selectively. It is directly applicable, which means 
that it does not need to be transposed into national law. In contrast, directives, which 
aim  to  harmonise  national  laws,  are  binding  on  Member  States  as  regards  their 
objectives,  but  leave  the  national  authorities  the  choice  of  form  and  methods  used  to 
achieve these objectives. They also have to be transposed into national law. The use of 
a regulation is in line with other statistical legal acts adopted since 1997. 

4)  BUDGETARY IMPLICATIONS 

The proposal has no implications for the Community budget. 

5)  ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 

•  Simplification 

The  proposal  provides  for  the  simplification  of  legislation,  the  simplification  of 
administrative procedures for public authorities (EU or national), and the simplification 
of administrative procedures for private parties. 

The reduced breakdown of data by regions and by herd size, the reduced frequency of 
pig  surveys,  the  exemptions  granted  to  the  Member  States  with  animal  populations 
under certain thresholds, and the harmonised transmission deadlines will simplify the 
work for the EU and national administrations. 

The  use  of  administrative  sources  instead  of  surveys  will  reduce  the  burden  on 
respondents. 

The proposal is included in the Commission's Work and Legislative Programme under 
the reference ESTAT/2007/002. 

•  Repeal of existing legislation 

The adoption of the proposal will lead to the repeal of existing legislation. 

•  European Economic Area 

The proposed act concerns an EEA matter and should therefore extend to the European 
Economic Area. 

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510 

511 

513 

514 

515 

520 

560 

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. 

2007/0051 (COD) 

Proposal for a 

REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL  

concerning meat and livestock statistics 

(Text with EEA relevance) 

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, 

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 
285(1) thereof, 

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission4, 

Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 251 of the Treaty5, 

Whereas: 

(1) 

Council Directive 93/23/EEC 1 June 1993 on the statistical surveys to be carried out 
on  pig  production6,  Council  Directive  93/24/EEC  of  1  June  1993  on  the  statistical 
surveys  to  be  carried  out  on  bovine  animal  production7  and  Council  Directive 
93/25/EEC  of  1  June  1993  on  the  statistical  surveys  to  be  carried  out  on  sheep  and 
goat  stocks8  have  been  amended  several 
times.  Further  amendments  and 
simplifications  now  being  necessary,  these  acts  should,  for  reasons  of  clarity,  be 
replaced, according to the Commission's new political approach to the simplification 
of Community legislation and better regulation. 

(2) 

In  order  to  ensure  that  the  common  agricultural  policy  is  properly  administered, 
particularly  where  the  pig  meat,  beef,  veal,  sheep  meat,  goat  meat  and  poultry  meat 
markets  are  concerned,  the  Commission  requires  regular  data  on  trends  in  livestock 
and in pig meat, beef, veal, sheep meat, goat meat and poultry meat production. 

(3) 

Council  Regulation  (EEC)  No  571/88  of  29  February  1988  on  the  organisation  of 
Community  surveys  on  the  structure  of  agricultural  holdings9  provides  for  a 

4 
5 
6 

7 

8 

9 

OJ C […], […], p. […]  
OJ C […], […], p. […]  
OJ L 149, 21.6.1993, p. 1. Directive last amended by Regulation (EC) No 1882/2003 of the European 
Parliament and of the Council (OJ L 284, 31.10.2003, p. 1). 
OJ L 149, 21.6.1993, p. 5. Directive last amended by Regulation (EC) No 1882/2003 of the European 
Parliament and of the Council (OJ L 284, 31.10.2003, p. 1). 
OJ L 149, 21.6.1993, p. 10. Directive last amended by Regulation (EC) No 1882/2003 of the European 
Parliament and of the Council (OJ L 284, 31.10.2003, p. 1). 
OJ L 56, 2.3.1988, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Commission Regulation (EC) No 204/2006 (OJ 
L 34, 7.2.2006, p. 3. 

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(4) 

(5) 

(6) 

(7) 

(8) 

(9) 

programme of Community surveys to provide statistics on the structure of agricultural 
holdings up to 2007. 

In accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1059/2003 of the European Parliament and of 
the  Council  of  26  May  2003  on  the  establishment  of  a  common  classification  of 
territorial units for statistics (NUTS)10, all Member States’ statistics transmitted to the 
Commission  which  are  broken  down  by  territorial  units  should  use  the  NUTS 
classification.  Consequently,  in  order  to  establish  comparable  regional  statistics,  the 
territorial units should be defined in accordance with the NUTS classification. 

In order to facilitate implementation of this Regulation, close cooperation is necessary 
between  the  Member  States  and  the  Commission  and  this  may  be  achieved  in 
particular  via  the  Standing  Committee  for  Agricultural  Statistics  set  up  by  Council 
Decision 72/279/EEC11. 

The  measures  for  the  production  of  statistics  provided  for  in  this  Regulation  are 
necessary for the performance of the activities of the Community. Since the objective 
of the proposed action, namely the establishment of a common legal framework for the 
systematic  production  of  Community  statistics  on  meat  and  livestock  in  Member 
States,  cannot  be  sufficiently  achieved  by  the  Member  States  and  can  therefore  be 
better  achieved  at  Community  level,  the  Community  may  take  action  in  accordance 
with  the principle of subsidiarity as set  out in Article  5 of  the Treaty. In accordance 
with  the  principle  of  proportionality,  as  set  out  in  the  same  Article,  this  Regulation 
does not go beyond what is necessary to achieve its objectives. 

Council  Regulation  (EC)  No  322/97  of  17  February  1997  on  Community  statistics12 
provides a reference framework for the provisions of this Regulation. In particular, it 
requires  conformity  to  standards  of  impartiality,  reliability,  objectivity,  scientific 
independence, cost-effectiveness and statistical confidentiality. 

The measures necessary for the implementation of this Regulation should be adopted 
in accordance with Council Decision 1999/468/EC of 28 June 1999 laying down the 
procedures for the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commission13. 

In particular, powers should be conferred on the Commission to define the conditions 
under  which  it  adopts  the  content  of  quality  reports  and  adapts  the  Annexes.  Since 
such measures are of general scope and are intended to amend non-essential elements 
of  this  Regulation  or  to  supplement  it  by  adding  new  non-essential  elements,  they 
should  be  adopted  in  accordance  with  the  regulatory  procedure  with  scrutiny  under 
Article 5a of Council Decision 1999/468/EC, 

(10)  The Standing Committee for Agricultural Statistics has been consulted. 

10 

11 
12 

13 

OJ L 154, 21.6.2003, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Commission Regulation (EC) No /2007 (OJ L 
, …...2007, p. ). 
OJ L 179, 7.8.1972, p. 1. 
OJ  L  52,  22.2.1997,  p.1.  Regulation  as  amended  by  Regulation  (EC)  No  1882/2003  (OJ  L  284, 
31.10.2003, p.1). 
OJ L 184, 17.7.1999, p. 23. Decision as amended by Decision 2006/512/EC (OJ L 200, 22.7.2004, p. 1). 

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HAVE ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: 

Article 1 

Subject matter 

The  purpose  of  this  Regulation  is  to  establish  a  common  framework  for  the  systematic 
production of Community statistics on livestock and meat production, in particular 

– 

– 

– 

Statistics on pig, bovine, sheep and goat livestock; 

Slaughtering statistics on pigs, bovine animals, sheep, goats and poultry; 

Production forecasts of pig, bovine, sheep and goat meat. 

Article 2 

Definitions 

The  definitions  for  the  purpose  of  the  present  Regulation  are  set  out  in  Annex  I  to  this 
Regulation. 

SECTION I 

Article 3 

Coverage 

(1) 

The  Member  States  shall  produce  statistics  relating  to  the  number  of  pigs,  bovine 
animals, sheep and goats held on agricultural holdings within their territory. 

(2)  Member States conducting sample surveys shall cover sufficient agricultural holdings 
to account for at least 95% of the entire population, as determined by the last survey 
on the structure of agricultural holdings. 

Article 4 

Frequency and reference period 

(1) 

(2) 

The pig livestock statistics shall be produced twice a year, with reference to one day in 
May/June  and  one  day  in  November/December.  Those  Member  States  whose  pig 
population is less than 3 million head may produce these statistics only once a year, 
with reference to one day in November/December. 

The  bovine  livestock  statistics  shall  be  produced  twice  a  year,  with  reference  to  one 
day  in  May/June  and  one  day  in  November/December.  Those  Member  States  whose 
bovine population is less than 1.5 million head may produce these statistics only once 
a year, with reference to one day in November/December. 

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(3) 

(4) 

The sheep livestock statistics shall be produced once a year, with reference to one day 
in November/December, by those Member States whose sheep population is 500 000 
head or more. 

The goat livestock statistics shall be produced once a year, with reference to one day 
in  November/December,  by  those  Member  States  whose  goat  population  is  500 000 
head or more. 

Article 5 

Categories 

The  livestock  statistics  shall  be  produced  for  the  categories  set  out  in  Annex  II  to  this 
Regulation. 

Article 6 

Precision requirements 

(1)  Member  States  conducting  sample  surveys  shall  take  the  necessary  steps  so  that  the 
extrapolated national survey results meet the precision requirements set out in Annex 
III to this Regulation. 

(2)  Member States may be allowed by the Commission to use sources other than surveys 

in duly justified cases. 

(3) 

In case of sources other than surveys, the Member States will ensure that the precision 
is at least equal to the precision required in the case of surveys. 

Article 7 

Transmission deadlines 

(1)  Member States shall inform the Commission of the provisional statistics on livestock 

before: 

–  15 September of the same year for the May/June statistics; 

–  15 February of the following year for the November/December statistics. 

(2)  Member  States  shall  inform  the  Commission  of  the  definitive  statistics  on  livestock 

before: 

–  15 October of the same year for the May/June statistics; 

–  1 April of the following year for the November/December statistics. 

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Article 8 

Regional statistics 

The  November/December  statistics  shall  be  broken  down  by  the  NUTS  2  territorial  units 
defined in Regulation (EC) No 1059/2003. By exception they may be provided only by NUTS 
1 territorial units for Germany and United Kingdom. 

SECTION II 

SLAUGHTERING STATISTICS 

Article 9 

Coverage 

The Member States shall produce statistics relating to the number and carcass weight of pigs, 
bovine animals, sheep, goats and poultry slaughtered in the slaughterhouses on their territory, 
the meat of which is deemed fit for human consumption. They shall also supply estimates of 
slaughterings  outside  slaughterhouses,  so  that  the  statistics  include  all  the  pigs,  bovine 
animals, sheep, goats and poultry slaughtered on their territory. 

Article 10 

Frequency and reference period 

(1) 

(2) 

The  statistics  on  slaughtering  in  slaughterhouses  shall  be  produced  monthly  by  each 
Member State. The reference period shall be the calendar month. 

The  statistics  on  slaughtering  outside  slaughterhouses  shall  be  produced  yearly  by 
each Member State. The reference period shall be the calendar year. 

Article 11 

Categories 

The  slaughtering  statistics  shall  be  produced  for  the  categories  set  out  in  Annex  IV  to  this 
Regulation. 

Article 12 

Transmission deadlines 

Member  States  shall  inform  the  Commission  of  the  slaughtering  statistics  within  60  days 
following the reference period. 

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SECTION III 

MEAT PRODUCTION FORECASTS 

Article 13 

Coverage 

The Member States shall use the statistics mentioned in Section I and II, and other available 
information,  to  produce  forecasts  of  their  supply  of  pigs,  bovine  animals,  sheep  and  goats. 
This supply shall be expressed as the gross indigenous production, which corresponds to the 
number  of  pigs,  bovine  animals,  sheep  and  goats  slaughtered  plus  the  balance  of  intra-
Community and external trade in live animals of these species. 

Article 14 

Frequency and reference period 

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

(4) 

The  forecasts  for  pig  and  bovine  animals  shall  be  produced  twice  a  year  by  each 
Member State. 

The forecasts for sheep shall be produced once a year by those Member States whose 
sheep population is 500 000 head or more. 

The forecasts for goats shall be produced once a year by those Member States whose 
goat population is 500 000 head or more. 

The forecasts shall cover four quarters for pigs, three semesters for bovine animals and 
two semesters for sheep and goats. 

Article 15 

Categories 

The forecasts shall be produced for the categories set out in Annex V to this Regulation. 

Article 16 

Transmission deadlines 

Member States shall inform the Commission of the meat production forecasts before: 

– 

15 February for forecasts from January to the end of the fourth quarter of the 
current year for pigs, to the end of the first semester of the following year for 
bovine  animals  and  to  the  end  of  the  second  semester  of  the  current  year  for 
sheep and goats; 

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– 

15  September  for  forecasts  from  July  of  the  current  year  to  the  end  of  the 
second  quarter  of  the  following  year  for  pigs  and  to  the  end  of  the  second 
semester of the following year for bovine animals. 

SECTION IV 

GENERAL PROVISIONS 

Article 17 

Reports 

(1) 

The  Member  States  shall  inform  the  Commission  of  any  methodological  or  other 
change which would considerably influence the statistics. This shall be done not later 
than three months after this change enters into force. 

(2)  Member  States  shall  provide  the  Commission  every  3  years,  and  for  the  first  time 
twelve  months  after  the  adoption  of  the  current  Regulation,  with  quality  reports  on 
livestock statistics, slaughtering  statistics  and meat production forecasts. The  content 
of  those  quality  reports  shall  be  defined  by  the  Commission  in  accordance  with  the 
procedure referred to in Article 19(2). 

(3) 

Consideration shall be given to the principle that additional costs and burdens remain 
within reasonable limits. 

Article 18 

Implementing measures 

(1) 

The  following  measures  necessary  for  implementation  of  this  Regulation  shall  be 
taken in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 19(2): 

(a) 

definition of the content of quality reports to be provided by Member 
States (Article 17(2); 

(b)  modifications of the Annexes. 

(2) 

Consideration  shall  be  given  to  the  principle  that  the  benefits  of  updating  must 
outweigh its costs, and to the principle that additional costs and burdens remain within 
reasonable limits. 

Article 19 

Committee procedure 

(1) 

The  Commission  shall  be  assisted  by  the  Standing  Committee  for  Agricultural 
Statistics established by Article 1 of Council Decision 72/279/EEC. 

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(2)  Where  reference  is  made  to  this  paragraph,  Article  5a(1)  to  (4)  and  Article  7  of 
Decision  1999/468/EC  shall  apply,  having  regard  to  the  provisions  of  Article  8 
thereof. 

Article 20 

Repeal 

(1) 

(2) 

Council Directives 93/23/EEC, 93/24/EEC and 93/25/EEC are repealed. 

References  made  to  the  repealed  Directives  shall  be  construed  as  being  made  to  this 
Regulation. 

Article 21 

Entry into force 

This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in 
the Official Journal of the European Union. 

It shall apply from 1 January 2008. 

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States. 

Done at Brussels,  

For the European Parliament 
The President 

For the Council 
The President 

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ANNEX I 

Definitions 

For the purposes of this Regulation, the following definitions apply: 

(a) 

'agricultural  holding'  as  defined  in  Council  Regulation  (EEC)  No 
571/88; 

(b) 

'sample survey' as defined in Council Regulation (EEC) No 571/88; 

(c) 

the term ‘pig’ means domestic animals of the species Sus; 

(d) 

the term ‘bovine animals’ means domestic animals of the species Bos 
taurus, Bubalus bubalus and Beefalo; 

(e) 

categories of bovine animals: 

Annex II 

Annexes IV and V 

Calves 

Calves for slaughter 

Bovine animals less than one 
year  old  for  slaughter  as 
calves 

Bovine  animals  of  not  more 
than  300  kg  live  weight  and 
not  yet  having  permanent 
teeth 

Non-castrated  male  bovines 
not included under calves 

Castrated  male  bovines  not 
included under calves 

Bulls 

Bullocks 

Heifers 

Female  bovines  aged  two 
years  or  more  that  have  not 
yet calved 

Female bovines that have not 
yet  calved  not 
included 
under calves 

Heifers for slaughter 

Other heifers 

Cows 

Heifers 
production 

raised 

for  meat 

Heifers  raised  for  breeding 
and intended to replace dairy 
or other cows 

Female  bovines  that  have 
calved  (including  any  aged 
less than two years) 

Female  bovines  that  have 
calved 

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Dairy cows 

Other cows 

for 

Cows  kept  exclusively  or 
the 
principally 
production  of  milk 
for 
human  consumption  and/or 
including 
dairy  produce, 
cows  for  slaughter  (whether 
fattened  or  not  between  last 
lactation and slaughter) 

Cows other than dairy cows, 
possibly 
any 
draught cows 

including 

(f) 

the term ‘sheep’ means domestic animals of the species Ovis; 

(g) 

categories of sheep: 

Ewes and ewe lambs put to the ram: females of the ovine species which have already 
lambed  at  least  once  as  well  as  those  which  have  been  put  to  the  ram  for  the  first 
time. 

Milk  ewes:  ewes  which  are  kept  exclusively  or  principally  to  produce  milk  for 
human  consumption  and/or  for  processing  into  dairy  products.  This  includes  cast 
milk sheep (whether fattened or not between their last lactation and slaughtering). 

Other ewes: ewes other than milk ewes. 

Lambs: male or female sheep under 12 months old. 

(h) 

the term ‘goats’ means domestic animals of the species Capra; 

(i) 

the  term  ‘poultry’  means  domestic  birds  of  the  species  Gallus 
domesticus  (chickens),  Meleagris  (turkeys),  Anas  (ducks)  and  Anser 
anser  dom  (geese),  among  others.  Other  poultry  may  for  example 
include  domestic  birds  of  the  species  Coturnix  (quails),  Phasianus 
(pheasants),  Numida  meleagris  dom  (guinea-fowl),  Colombinae 
(pigeons),  and  Struthio  camelus 
in 
confinement for hunting purposes and not for producing meat are not 
included here; 

(ostriches).  Birds 

raised 

(j) 

the  term  ‘carcass’  means  the  body  of  an  animal  after  slaughter  and 
dressing; 

(k) 

the term "carcass weight": 

–  for pigs is the weight of the slaughtered pig's cold body, either whole or divided in 
half along the mid-line, after being bled and eviscerated and after removal of the 
tongue, bristles, hooves, genitalia, flare fat, kidneys and diaphragm; 

–  for  bovines  is  the  weight  of  the  slaughtered  animal’s  cold  body  after  being 
skinned,  bled  and  eviscerated,  and  after  removal  of  the  external  genitalia,  the 

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limbs at the carpus and tarsus, the head, the tail, the kidneys and kidney fats, and 
the udder; 

–  for  sheep  and  goats  is  the  weight  of  the  slaughtered  animal's  cold  body  after 
having been bled, skinned and eviscerated, and after removal of the head (severed 
at  the  atlanto-occipital  joint),  of  the  feet  (severed  at  the  carpo-metacarpal  or 
tarsometatarsal  joints),  of  the  tail  (severed  between  the  sixth  and  seventh  caudal 
vertebrae) and of the genital organs (including udder); 

–  for poultry is the weight of the cold body of the slaughtered bird after being bled, 
plucked and eviscerated. It includes poultry offal, with the exception of foie gras. 

(l) 

the term ‘slaughterhouse’ means an officially registered and approved 
establishment used for slaughtering and dressing animals of which the 
meat is intended for human consumption. 

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ANNEX II 

Categories applying to livestock statistics 

Pigs: 

piglets with a live weight of less than 20 kg 

pigs with a live weight of 20 kg or more but less than 50 kg 

fattening pigs, including cull boars and cull sows with a live weight: 

of 50 kg or more but less than 80 kg 

of 80 kg or more but less than 110 kg 

of 110 kg or more 

breeding pigs with a live weight of 50 kg and higher: 

boars 

covered sows, of which: 

sows covered for the first time 

other sows, of which: 

gilts not yet covered 

Bovine animals: 

bovine animals less than 1 year old: 

calves for slaughter 

other: 

male 

female 

bovine animals aged between 1 and 2 years: 

male 

female: 

animals for slaughter 

other 

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bovine animals of 2 years and over: 

male 

female: 

heifers: 

heifers for slaughter 

other 

cows: 

dairy cows 

other 

buffaloes: 

female breeding buffaloes 

other buffaloes 

Sheep: 

ewes and ewe lambs put to the ram: 

milk ewes and milk ewe lambs put to the ram 

other ewes and ewe lambs put to the ram 

other sheep 

Goats: 

goats which have already kidded and goats which have been mated: 

goats which have already kidded 

goats mated for the first time 

other goats 

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ANNEX III 

Precision requirements 

In the case of livestock surveys, the sampling errors for the results of each Member State shall 
not exceed (with a confidence interval of 68%): 

a) 2% of the total number of pigs (5% where the pig population is less than 1 000 000 head); 

b)  1%  of  the  total  number  of  bovine  animals  (5%  where  the  bovine  population  is  less  than 
1 000 000 head); 

c)  1.5  %  of  the  total  number  of  cows  (5%  where  the  cow  population  is  less  than  500 000 
head); 

d) 2% of the total number of sheep and of goats (5% where the sheep and the goat population 
is less than 1 000 000 head). 

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ANNEX IV  

Categories applying to slaughtering statistics 

Pigs: no breakdown 

Bovine animals: 

calves 

heifers 

cows 

bulls 

bullocks 

lambs 

others 

Sheep: 

Goats: no breakdown 

Poultry: 

chickens 

turkeys 

ducks

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ANNEX V 

Categories applying to meat production forecasts 

Pigs: no breakdown 

Bovine animals: 

calves 

heifers 

cows 

bulls and bullocks 

Sheep: no breakdown 

Goats: no breakdown 

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