Bovine animals have never been so few

Agriculture & fishery
Agricultural figures Table A Complete list of variables

Agricultural results 2017

The new agricultural results of Statbel, the Belgian statistical office, show a clear decrease of the number of bovine animals in Belgium. In 2017, there were 4.7 % fewer bovine animals than the year before. In Flanders, the decrease amounts to 3.7 % and in Wallonia to 5.8 %.

Especially the number of suckler cows has significantly decreased, by -8.45 % in Belgium, -9.3 % in Flanders and -7.8 % in Wallonia. The decrease for dairy cows is less pronounced.

Regarding harvests and the surface of the areas, the 2017 agricultural data show that:

  • The cereal area has significantly dropped by 9.4 %, or 31,581 ha. The decrease is the same in both regions.
  • The decrease for cereals is partly offset by an increase for vegetables (+ 3,123 ha) and sugar beets (+ 6,934 ha). Among vegetables, peas, green beans and onions are particularly increasing.
  • Potatoes also performed very well in 2017. They register an increase of 4 % due to their favourable price in the spring 2017.
  • The area for apples has decreased since 2012, while the area for pears keeps increasing. The increase can mainly be observed for Conference pears.