"Signs of adaptation can be seen in the livestock sector," said Deputy Secretary General for Agricultural and Rural Life Policies Marko Goran in a press release. "The low ebb of the milk market that has continued for a long time has had a negative effect on the purchase price of milk and cattle numbers. Yet the productivity of cattle has grown despite the difficult situation and milk output has stabilized on the level of recent years."

In the first nine months of the year, approximately 7,000 tons more milk was produced in Estonia than during the same period in 2015. The average purchase price in September was 233 euros per ton, a 2.5 percent increase year over year.

Despite the higher price, 13 percent less pork was produced in Estonia by the end of September than during the first nine months of 2015. The average purchase price of pork was 1,593 euros per ton in the third quarter, seven percent higher than one year prior.

Livestock numbers continued to decline, however. At the end of September, the number of cattle was smaller by two percent, pigs by 19 percent, sheep and goats by three percent and poultry by eight percent than at the end of September last year.