NEW YORK – Russian government figures indicate that during the first 10 months of 2012, Russia produced more pork and poultry and less beef than the previous year, according to Bloomberg. Production increased 14 percent from the first 10 months of 2011 for pork and fell 4.4 percent for beef, Rosstat, the Federal State Statistics Service reported. Poultry and byproduct outputs increased 15 percent.

For October, beef production was about the same from one year earlier at 17,900 metric tons. Output climbed 17 percent to 86,700 tons for pork and rose 6.1 percent to 284,000 tons for poultry. Cattle and poultry output by live weight increased 7.9 percent to 8.8 million tons in the 10-month period.

By the end of October, Russia’s cattle herd totaled 20.7 million head, 0.3 percent above the same year-earlier period. The cow total increased 0.8 percent to 9 million head. For hogs, populations gained 6.1 percent to 19.7 million. Meanwhile, sheep and goats expanded 6.8 percent to 25.6 million head for sheep and goats.