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Beef cattle numbers decline 4.9 percent on year in Q1 as fertile cows grow fewer

Published: 24 Apr. 2026, 14:26

A sign notifies the public that access is restricted to a layer chicken farm in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi, on Feb. 26, 2025. [YONHAP]

The number of beef cattle fell on year in the first quarter amid a continued drop in fertile cows, government data showed Friday.

Korean farms raised 3.22 million beef cattle as of March 1, down 4.9 percent from the same period a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Data and Statistics.

The number of milk cows also fell by 1.7 percent on year to 371,000.

Pigs being grown in the country inched down by 0.7 percent to 10.7 million, while duck numbers contracted even more by 15.9 percent to 5.3 million.

The number of layer chickens declined 0.3 percent on year to 77.8 million, but the figure for broiler chickens rose 2.7 percent to 96.5 million.

Layer chicken numbers declined as many of them were culled due to the avian influenza epidemic, the ministry added.

Yonhap