Analysis of the evolution and influence of the number of meat animals in Romania

Over the past years, the Romanian rural sector has been facing a number of issues such as a decrease in the number of livestock, the loss of their genetic potential, the destruction of the majority of zootechnical production areas and animal production. The data obtained and processed in the 1991-2017 period involve the following animals: cattle, pigs, sheep, goats and adults laying poultry. With the exception of goats, all the other categories exhibited a drastic decrease in herds, especially cattle and pigs. The results obtained are a consequence of the unsound management in most of the local, regional and central rural administrative structures, agricultural holdings and agricultural companies. Moreover, the value of food imports, especially of meat products, has increased, especially in the last years of the studied period, and is most likely to continue to increase due to the swine flu in Romania in 2018.