The livestock unit, abbreviated as LSU (or sometimes as LU), is a reference unit which facilitates the aggregation of livestock from various species and age as per convention, via the use of specific coefficients established initially on the basis of the nutritional or feed requirement of each type of animal (see table below for an overview of the most commonly used coefficients).
The reference unit used for the calculation of livestock units (=1 LSU) is the grazing equivalent of one adult dairy cow producing 3 000 kg of milk annually, without additional concentrated foodstuffs.
Holdings with livestock can have zero livestock units as LSU is only calculated for bovine animals, goats, sheep, equidae, pigs, poultry, and female breeding rabbits. Holdings with livestock and no LSU are holdings which have beehives or other livestock not elsewhere classified.
Livestock unit coefficients
| 2005-2007 | 2010 | 2013-2016 | 2020 | ||
| Bovine animals | Under 1 year old | 0.400 | 0.400 | 0.400 | 0.400 |
| 1 but less than 2 years old | 0.700 | 0.700 | 0.700 | 0.700 | |
| Male, 2 years old and over | 1.000 | 1.000 | 1.000 | 1.000 | |
| Heifers, 2 years old and over | 0.800 | 0.800 | 0.800 | 0.800 | |
| Dairy cows | 1.000 | 1.000 | 1.000 | 1.000 | |
| Female buffalo | 1.000 | ||||
| Other cows, 2 years old and over | 0.800 | 0.800 | 0.800 | 0.800 | |
| Sheep and goats | 0.100 | 0.100 | 0.100 | 0.100 | |
| Equidae | 0.800 | 0.800 | 0.800 | ||
| Pigs | Piglets having a live weight of under 20 kg | 0.027 | 0.027 | 0.027 | 0.027 |
| Breeding sows weighing 50 kg and over | 0.500 | 0.500 | 0.500 | 0.500 | |
| Other pigs | 0.300 | 0.300 | 0.300 | 0.300 | |
| Poultry | Broilers | 0.007 | 0.007 | 0.007 | 0.007 |
| Laying hens | 0.014 | 0.014 | 0.014 | 0.014 | |
| Other poultry (turkeys, ducks, geese, ostriches, other poultry fowls n.e.c.) | 0.030 | 0.030 | 0.030 | 0.030 | |
| Turkeys | 0.030 | 0.030 | 0.030 | ||
| Ducks | 0.010 | 0.010 | 0.010 | ||
| Geese | 0.020 | 0.020 | 0.020 | ||
| Ostriches and other poultry fowls n.e.c. | 0.030 | ||||
| Ostriches | 0.350 | 0.350 | |||
| Other poultry fowls n.e.c. | 0.001 | 0.001 | |||
| Rabbits, breeding females | 0.020 | 0.020 | 0.020 | 0.020 | |
| Beehives | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | |
| Fur animals | 0.000 | ||||
| Deer | 0.000 | ||||
| Other livestock n.e.c. | 0.000 |