About 800,000 ha (1,977,000 acres) of land are meadows and pastures, representing 12.8% of the total land area. In 2001, there were 367,000 head of cattle, 394,000 pigs, 29,000 sheep, 3,100,000 chickens, and 20,000 horses. In 2001, some 60,000 tons of meat were produced, over 90% of which was beef and pork. Milk and egg production in 2001 totaled 846,000 and 27,000 tons, respectively.
Before World War II (1939–45), Latvia was a prominent dairy producer; in the postwar period, the number of cattle, poultry, and pigs rose steeply. Milk production stabilized in 1995, after four years of decreases in dairy cattle and milk production.
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