MEAT PRODUCTION IN THE R. N. MACEDONIA IN COMPARISON WITH OTHER FORMER YUGOSLAV COUNTRIES

Abstract

Over the past sixty-one years, global meat production has increased fivefold, rising from 70.57 million tons in 1961 to 355.54 million tons in 2022. Europe was the leading meat producer until the 1990 s, after which Asia took the lead over the past thirty years. In North Macedonia, the average meat production from 2007 to 2022 was 22,998.44 tons of which pork meat accounts for 48.52%, beef meat 22.91%, lamb meat 19.46% and chicken meat 9.12 %. Among the former Yugoslav countries from 2007 to 2022, the Republic of Serbia was the largest meat producer, averaging 493,604 tons, followed by the Republic of Croatia with 216,516.5 tons, the Republic of Slovenia with 136,646.6 tons, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina with 79,325.86 tons, the Republic of North Macedonia with 22,998.44 tons, and the Republic of Montenegro with 9,940.07 tons. Тhe Republic of North Macedonia and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the period 2007–2022 are countries from the former Yugoslavia that have by far the lowest consumption of meat per capita. To ensure sustainable livestock production, it is necessary for countries to include a variety of measures and interventions in their strategic plans.