Organic Livestock Industry and Its Development Possibilities in Latvia

Organic agriculture as an independent industry had existed in Latvia since the beginning of the 1990s. It developed relatively fast after Latvia's accession to the European Union (EU), however, a decrease in the number of farms engaged in this industry is observed over the recent years. In Latvia, totally 1400 farms raising 73000 cattle, 10000 pigs, 39000 sheep, 7000 goats, and 38000 poultry were engaged in organic livestock farming in 2011. Yet, their share in the total number of livestock is insignificant, the industry is fragmented, and organic meat processing does not exist. Therefore, cooperation among farms is required, so that organic meat reaches consumers. Organisation of farmers in agricultural service cooperatives (ASCs) may contribute to tackling this problem. In 2011, totally 115 ASCs existed in Latvia, of which only 6 were certified as organic, but not a single ASC that would be engaged in the organic livestock industry was among them, which hinders the processing of organic meat and its promotion on the market.