History & Production Animal production in the Cook Islands has been going on for many generations now. The main animals produced are; pigs, goats, chickens, horses and a few cattle. Most of these animals are for food security, cultural and church obligations except for the horse which was used for transport and work animal in the past, but mainly for tourism/horse-back riding these days. According to the Agriculture Census 2000, the most popular type of livestock raised was pigs with 92% of all households recorded as keeping pigs. Around 31% of households were reported as raising goats, 30% chickens, and 4% cattle. In terms of numbers of animals, the number of chickens in the Cook Islands at the time of the census is estimated at some 24,300 followed by pigs (15,900), goats (3,600), cattle (300) and horses (70).
Livestock industry in the Cook Islands is mainly for subsistence and catering for the local market in order to substitute meat imports. In 2000, the Cook Islands imported 114 tonnes of beef, 164 tonnes of mutton and 1,545 tonnes of frozen chickens. We are self sufficient in pork meat and eggs, but still struggling to compete with overseas competition as these animal products rely mainly on imported feed. Cultural Importance
Livestock also play an important roll in our customary way of life and this is the main reason that 92% of all households in the Cook Islands keep animals. Goat meat is a delegacy among the locals and also a substitute for pork meat on religious grounds, e.g. for Seven Day Adventist followers. Through field extension visits, workshops and study tours, the Ministry of Agriculture encourages farmers to keep livestock for both home consumption and sales. Health
According to the OIE Disease Survey List, the Cook Islands is free of List A and List B diseases. These diseases are the most dangerous diseases in the world and they consist of diseases like Blue Tongue, Rabies, New Castle etc. We do passive surveillance in reporting and farmers also report unusual deaths or events on their farms. For any suspicious occurrences, we report this to SPC, Fiji, who sends a Veterinarian down to do diagnostic tests. The Livestock Division have already requested SPC in Fiji to help with the surveying and reporting of all livestock animal diseases in the Cook Islands which will help us confirm the type of diseases we have in the country. However this costs money and will have to wait for funding. Population
The table below states the population of livestock in the Cook Islands by type as of 2001.
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