Major livestock inventories fell in South Korea in the first quarter, led by declines in Hanwoo cattle and pigs, while only broiler chickens increased, government data showed.
According to the National Data Agency’s “2026 First-Quarter Livestock Trends Survey” released on April 24, the number of Korean native cattle and beef cattle stood at 3.218 million as of March 1, down 4.9% from a year earlier. With fewer breeding cows, the number of animals under 1 year old fell 6.9%, those 1 to 2 years old fell 3.2%, and those 2 years and older fell 4.7%.
Dairy cattle totaled 371,000, down 1.7%. With fewer breeding dairy cows, animals under 1 year old declined 4.5%, those 1 to 2 years old fell 3.0%, and those 2 years and older slipped 0.9%.
The pig population was 10.716 million, down 0.7%. Pigs under 2 to 4 months old fell 3.0%, while some other age groups were little changed, resulting in a mild overall decline.
Laying hens totaled 77.747 million, down 0.3%. The drop was driven largely by culling after outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza, with birds 6 months and older down 5.5%. Birds under 3 months rose 7.3%, partly offsetting the decline.
Ducks fell sharply to 5.294 million, down 15.9%, as fewer meat ducklings were placed, reducing overall production.
Broiler chickens rose to 96.463 million, up 2.7%, as more chicks were placed. Broilers increased 3.0% and samgyetang chickens rose 3.4%.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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