According to the results of 2025, the Ministry of Agriculture reported exceeding the plan for the number of cattle. However, an audit by the Supreme Audit Office raised questions about the reliability of certain statistical data and the methodology for assessing the country's food security.
WHAT THE CATTLE POPULATION AUDIT REVEALED
According to the Supreme Audit Office, the plan for the cattle population for 2025 was 8,001 thousand head, while the actual figure, according to data from the Ministry of Agriculture, reached 8,167 thousand head.
At the same time, auditors analysed the accuracy of the statistics collection on cattle numbers. It is noted that in January 2023, a decrease in livestock numbers of 22.6%, or 1,900 thousand head, was recorded. However, by January 2025, abnormally high growth rates in the indicators were noted in a number of regions.
WHICH REGIONS RECORDED THE HIGHEST GROWTH
The auditors noted the most significant recovery of livestock numbers in absolute terms in several regions.
In the Abai region, the indicator changed from minus 320.5 thousand head in 2023 to plus 331.8 thousand head in 2025.
In the Turkestan region, a shift from minus 178 thousand head to plus 215.3 thousand head was recorded, and in the West Kazakhstan region (WKR) — from minus 50.1 thousand head to plus 200.2 thousand head.
It is also noted that the data on cattle numbers does not align with the growth rates of milk and meat production in the country.
HOW FOOD SECURITY WAS ASSESSED
The Ministry of Agriculture reported achieving the target indicator 'Level of food product security'. With a plan of 80%, the actual figure based on the Ministry's operational data stood at 105.8%.
However, the audit showed that self-sufficiency of the domestic market was not achieved for six types of products. These are poultry meat (78%), fish (75%), apples (73%), sausages (66%), cheese and cottage cheese (56%), and granulated sugar (34%).
WHY QUESTIONS AROSE OVER THE FINAL INDICATORS
As noted by the Supreme Audit Office, the high final self-sufficiency indicator was achieved due to significant overperformance in certain product categories. In particular, the indicator for sunflower oil was 363%, and for flour — 210%.
In the auditors' assessment, under such conditions, achieving the overall indicator is merely a formality, as import dependence remains for a number of socially significant food products.
Furthermore, it is noted that the current methodological guidelines for calculating the level of food security do not account for the physiological norms of food consumption.
CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
The auditors' current findings are not the first signal of problems with animal registration and data quality in the agricultural sector.
Earlier, the prosecutor's office of the Kostanay region reported instances of fictitious vaccination of 1,910 farm animals in the Kamysty district, as well as the inflation of statistical reports on livestock numbers by 537 head. Additionally, the inspection revealed violations in the storage of veterinary medicines and non-compliance with vaccination schedules.
In June 2025, the prosecutor's office of the Auliekol district in the Kostanay region identified 1,764 cases of fictitiously entering non-existent livestock into the 'Identification of Farm Animals' database, as well as 6,806 cases of entering information about vaccinations that were not actually carried out.
The Chairman of the public association 'Veterinary Doctors of WKR', Doctor of Veterinary Sciences Gaisa Absatirov, has also previously criticised official reporting in the field of veterinary safety. According to him, prosecutorial inspections in the regions uncovered cases of fictitious vaccination and the addition of non-existent livestock.
Problems in the sector are also linked to the state of the veterinary service. Currently, one veterinary specialist in Kazakhstan serves about 2 thousand head of cattle compared to the standard of 750 head, which, according to experts, complicates the monitoring of the epizootic situation and animal registration.