Documentation of statistics Meat production

Data description

The statistics contain monthly and annual data on the slaughter volumes (number of carcasses, weight in kilograms, and average carcass weight) of cattle, swine, poultry, sheep, goats and horses. The statistics also contain monthly data on the frozen storage volumes of beef and pork.

The statistics contain annual data on the production of beef, pork, and mutton by municipality and by region. The production of beef is also presented by EU support area.

Data on production of organic meat is published yearly.

Classification system

The number of carcasses, weight and average carcass weight of animals slaughtered in slaughterhouses is presented for the whole of Finland using the following classifications:

Cattle: Cows, bulls, over 12 months; heifers, over 12 months; cattle, over 8 months – 12 months; and cattle, 8 months and below. Additionally, the slaughter volumes of suckler cows and meat breed cattle are presented in the statistics since the year 2020.

Until the year 2019, cattle was classified based on weight: Cows, heifers, carcass weight 130kg and above; bulls, carcass weight 130kg and above; bull calves, carcass weight 80kg – 129kg; and calves, carcass weight under 80kg

Pigs: Sows, boars, and fattening pigs

Poultry: Turkeys, broilers, broilerhens and other poultry

Sheep: Lambs and other sheep

Goats

Horses

The slaughters of organic meat production are classified as follows: cattle, pigs, poultry, and sheep.

Data on the production of beef, pork, and mutton by area is published by municipality and by region. Data on the production of beef is also published by support area. The classification of farms into regions is based on the municipality in which a farm’s administrative centre is located.

Sector coverage

Data collection includes slaughterhouses approved by the Finnish Food Authority and small slaughterhouse approved by the municipal food and safety authorities. Some small slaughterhouses are not included in the data collection. 

The slaughter volumes of cattle and sheep are collected from administrative animal registers.

Statistical concepts and definitions

The numbers and weights of carcasses of slaughtered animals include animals raised for meat bought from producers by the slaughterhouses, animals slaughtered from the slaughterhouse’s own production line, slaughters of animals transported to slaughterhouses, and product returns. The quantities of slaughtered animals do not include carcasses discarded in inspection or the quantities of discarded meat.

The weight in kilograms is bone-in or carcass meat. Bone-in meat contains approximately 80% of boneless meat.

Meat breed cattle: Cattle is classified as meat breed if its mother is registered as a suckler cow.

The number of slaughtered pigs includes pigs slaughtered abroad but raised in Finland.

Statistical unit

The statistics describe the development of meat production volumes, number of slaughtered animals, and average carcass weight.

Data is based on notices from slaughterhouses and on animal registers.

Statistical population

The slaughterhouses included in data collection are slaughterhouses approved by the Finnish Food Authority or small slaughterhouses approved by the municipal food safety authorities. Some small slaughterhouses are not included in the data collection. 

Unit of measure

The volume of slaughtered animals presented in heads, carcass weights as kilograms, and the average carcass weight as kg/head.

Reference period

The reference period of the monthly statistics is a month. The reference period of the annual statistics is a calendar year.

Reference area

The reference area of the statistics is the whole of Finland, region, and support areas.  

Time coverage

Data on meat production is available on the website since the year 1960.

The statistics are compiled based on the Act on the Natural Resources Institute Finland (561/2014), the Act on Food and Natural Resource Statistics (562/2014), and the Statistics Act (280/2004). The regulation No 1165/2008 of the Council of Europe also includes obligations regarding the production of statistics on slaughtered animal.

More information: Statistics legislation

Confidentiality - policy

Confidentiality is a base principle of statistics and assures the confidential processing of data provided by informants, and the Natural Resources Institute Finland has undertaken to follow this principle.

More information: Privacy policy – Statistics

Confidentiality is a base principle of statistics and assures the confidential processing of data provided by informants, and the Natural Resources Institute Finland has undertaken to follow this principle. Micro-data is confidential and must never be released for administrative decision-making, investigation, surveillance, legal proceedings, or similar purposes.

Confidentiality - data treatment

The confidentiality of data collected for statistical purposes is guaranteed according to the Statistics Act (280/2004), the Personal Data Act (523/1999), the Act on the Openness of Government Activities (621/1999), and the EU General Data Protection Regulation (2016/679). Data is protected at all stages of processing using the necessary physical and technological solutions. The staff only has access to information necessary for their duties. Unauthorised people do not have access to spaces in which micro-data is processed. Staff members have signed a non-disclosure agreement when entering duty. Intentional breach of confidentiality will be penalised.

The disseminations of the Natural Resources Institute Finland are published online on weekdays at 9:00.  Data is public after it has been published on the website.

Release calendar

The publication dates are confirmed in autumn together with the action plans. The release calendar of the following year is published for users in the end of the year. The release calendar holds data on the dates of future publications. The calendar also contains direct links to already published statistical publication. 

Release calendar access

Statistical releases calendar | Natural Resources Institute Finland

Quality assurance

The Natural Resources Institute Finland follows the Code of Practice and the Quality Assurance Framework of European statistics when compiling statistics. The Code of Practice concern the independence and accountability of statistics authorities, and the quality of processes and published data. The principles are compatible with and supplement the Principles of Official Statistics, agreed upon by the United Nations Statistical Commission. The quality criteria of official statistics in Finland are also compatible with the Code of Practice of European statistics. The principles are also compatible with the European Foundation for Quality Management.

The response material of the statistics is reviewed and edited on a monthly basis. Additionally, the non-response is investigated based on variable background information. 

Quality assessment

The response material of the statistics is reviewed and edited on a monthly basis. Additionally, the non-response is investigated based on variable background information.

Feedback is collected from the users of the statistics in a meeting regarding statistics reforms, and as written comments. Feedback is also received directly. We follow the received feedback and take it into consideration in developing the statistics.

User needs

Users of the statistics includes the government, research, agricultural and food industries, and unions of agricultural producers. International users of the data include the Statistical Office of the European Union and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Overall accuracy and reliability

Data on the number of slaughters and carcass weights can be considered reliable, since the data collection includes most of the slaughterhouses.

The reliability of the data on the production quantities of pork by area can be weakened by slaughterhouses reporting the source of slaughtered animals to be the location of the slaughterhouse instead of the source location of the animals. The reliability of the data on the production quantities of beef and mutton by area can be weakened by incomplete data in the register, or no municipal information for all slaughtered animals in the register.

Data on the stock of meat only includes the stock of the largest meat producers.

Timeliness

Monthly data is usually published on the last day of the following month, or the following weekday. Monthly data is preliminary, as some changes to numbers of slaughters are reported after publishing the statistics. Previous monthly data is updated monthly. Annual statistics are published at the end of February, and the data is final.

Data on the stock of beef and pork is published on the 15th day of the following month, or on the following weekday.

Data on organic meat production is published in February or March of the following year.

Data on the production of beef, pork, and mutton by area is published in March.

Comparability - over time

The time series on meat production are mostly comparable.

Until the year 2019, statistics on the slaughters of beef was produced in carcass weight -based classes. Since the year 2020, the classifications of slaughter cattle have been based on age-based classifications.

Since the year 2002, data on the number of heads and the weights of carcasses has been collected from the cattle register. Until the year 2001, data on the slaughtering of cattle was collected from slaughterhouses monthly with a questionnaire.

Until the year 2008, statistics for grass-fed and milk-fed calves, carcass weight 30 – 80kg, and calves, under 30kg, were recorded separately. Since the year 2009, these two classes have been combined and the slaughtering numbers of calves, under 80kg, are published. Additionally, since 2009, the number of slaughtered poultry has been published in the following categories: turkeys, broilers, broilerhens, and other poultry.

The hot carcass weight reduction of 2% was taken into use at 1st of July 1995 in Finland. In the hot carcass weight reduction 2% of the hot carcass weight is subtracted to account for the weight loss that happens in cooling. Hot carcass weight reduction was not used between 1.3.1990 and 30.6.1995. Prior to this, until 28.2.1990, a 3% hot carcass weight reduction was used. The effect of hot carcass weight reduction has been removed from the statistics between 1.1.1990 and 28.2.1990. These changes do not apply to poultry slaughters.

The number of slaughters of sheep and goats has been based on data collected from the sheep and goat register since 2017. Before this the data was collected from slaughterhouses with a questionnaire.

Since 2006 data on the number of horse, goat, and sheep slaughters has been collected from more slaughterhouses than before, meaning that the data before and after 2006 is not fully comparable. New slaughterhouses were included in the data collection for sleep slaughters in 2012.

Data on organic meat production is not fully comparable before and after 2017. Meat that has left slaughterhouses as organic meat has been included in the production of organic meat since 2017. Before 2017 all slaughters of organic animals were included, regardless of if the meat left slaughterhouses as organic meat.

Data comparable to the current statistics on beef, pork and mutton production by area is available starting from year 2023.Data by area is not fully comparable due to changes to area classifications.  Luokitustiedotteet | Tilastokeskus (stat.fi)

Data on meat production by areas has been published by region since year 2023. In years 2010-2022 data was published by Ely Centres.

Data on meat production by area was previously published by Employment and Economic Development Centres (EEDC). EED Centres were abolished 31.12.2009 and replaced by Centres for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (ELY Centre) 1.1.2010. The abolishment of EED Centres does not affect the time series of the statistics.

Statistics on the number of on-farm slaughters of cattle, pigs and sheep have not been produced since 2023.

Coherence - cross domain

Coherence between sub annual and annual statistics

Monthly data is preliminary, as some changes to numbers of slaughters are reported after publishing the statistics. Annual statistics are published at the end of February, and the data is final.

Source data

The data collection set is based on the register of approved establishments on the meat sector, maintained by the Finnish Food Authority. The data collection set is revised annually.

Frequency of data collection

Data that cannot be collected from the administrative animal registers is asked for from the slaughterhouses.

Monthly: Slaughterhouses provide the Natural Resources Institute Finland with monthly data, which is due on the 15th day of the following month.

Yearly: Data on organic slaughter is collected annually from slaughterhouses slaughtering organic animals, in January or February.

Data collection

Data is collected from slaughterhouses through a web application. Slaughterhouses provide the Natural Resources Institute Finland with monthly data, which is due on the 15th day of the following month. Slaughtering volumes of cattle is based on data collected from the bovine register. Slaughtering volumes of sheep and goats is based on data collected from the sheep and goat register. 

Data validation

If for example an abnormally large observation is spotted during the data compilation process, the authenticity of data is reviewed. 

Data compilation

Faulty data is fixed mainly by hand. 

If data is not received in time from a slaughterhouse, the missing data is imputed using the averages of previous months of said slaughterhouse. The correct data will be included in the statistics whenever it is received from the slaughterhouse.