Between 2014 and 2024, livestock numbers in the European Union fell by approximately 12%.

Omissions

• The claim does not specify which livestock categories were included in the 12% figure. The official Eurostat data shows significant variation across species, with goats declining the most (16.3%) and pigs the least (8.1%). The speaker may have cherry-picked the highest individual category or used a specific calculation method not representative of overall livestock numbers.
• The Eurostat data used has a publication date of June 26, 2025, which is after the session date of April 30, 2026, but the reference period (2014-2024) is correct. However, the MEP could not have known this specific data at the time of speaking unless citing preliminary estimates.
• The actual weighted average decline across all major livestock categories is approximately 8.8%, not 12%.

Sources

• PrimaryEurostat - EU livestock populations continued to decrease in 2024Compared with 2014, the population of pigs in 2024 was 8.1% lower, bovine animals 8.7% lower, sheep 9.4% lower and goats 16.3% lower. At the end of 2024, there were 132 million pigs, 72 million bovine animals, 57 million sheep and 10 million goats in the EU.
• SecondaryThe Poultry Site - EU livestock numbers continue decade-long declineCompared with 2014, the population of pigs in 2024 was 8.1% lower, bovine animals 8.7% lower, sheep 9.4% lower and goats 16.3% lower.