German pig population grows after years of decline

The years of decline in the German pig population have been temporarily halted. For the first time in ten years, our eastern neighbors have more sows again. The slaughter figures also confirm that the years of decline have stopped. An increase is also visible in other major pig countries in Europe such as Spain, Poland, Denmark. The decline in the Netherlands continues unabated, as does in France.

Recent figures from the statistical service Eurostat show that the pig population is growing in many price-determining countries. The most striking development is the increase in the sow population in Germany. The June count shows that the number of sows shows an increase for the first time since 2014. With 1.413 million breeding sows, an increase of just under 1.5% is visible. This can be seen as a clear trend reversal, as the penultimate count in December still showed a decline. However, the decline in 2023 was already less than in previous years. All in all, a large part of the German pig population has disappeared from the market, as a decade ago there were more than 2 million sows.

More slaughters in Germany
In those years, more than a million pigs were slaughtered on a weekly basis with ease. These numbers have not been reached in recent years. However, the slaughter figures also temporarily leave the declining trend behind. So far, the slaughter figure (up to week 39) is almost equal to the same period last year. However, the slaughter figure in recent weeks is clearly above last year's level. With 763,346 pigs, the slaughter figure in the last full week of September was almost 3% above last year's level. These numbers are fairly consistent with insiders' expectations that the German slaughter figure would stabilize around 750,000 pigs per week. Not only the sow population, but the total number of pigs in Germany has grown to over 21 million according to Eurostat's recent count.

Growth in Spain, Denmark, and Poland
The number of breeding sows has also increased in other major European pig countries. With 2.77 million sows, Spain records a growth of 1.7%. The declining trend has also stopped in Denmark, as the sow population has grown by 1.7% to 1.11 million sows. Poland reports a significant growth of as much as 15% to 682,000 breeding sows. It should be noted that in recent years there has been a significant decline due to African swine fever.

Decline in the Netherlands and France
In one year, exactly 30,000 sow places have disappeared in the Netherlands. This represents a decline of 3.4% to 853,000 breeding sows. The decline is likely to continue in the coming years as a result of the cessation schemes (Lbv and Lbv-plus). The impact of this will become more and more clear in the coming months, but is likely not insignificant. Finally, of the major pig countries in Europe, France also reports a further decline in the sow population that has been ongoing since 2013. The number of French breeding sows has decreased by 3.41% to 848,000.

Wouter Baan

Wouter Baan is the editor-in-chief of Farmerbusiness and a market specialist in dairy, pork, and meat at DCA Market Intelligence. He also tracks developments within the agribusiness sector and conducts interviews with CEOs and policymakers.

w.baan@farmerbusiness.com