Piglet exports to Spain have peaked

This has given the market a hard reality check undergo. In ten years, Spain's position as an export destination for piglets has grown from a modest supporting role to the undisputed number one. The risks inherent in dependence on export markets are well known, but this is now becoming even more clear to Dutch pig breeders.

PRRS virus stimulated demand
About ten years ago, the number of piglets exported to Spain began a slow but steady increase. In 2016, approximately 190.000 were sold to Spanish buyers. In the following years, there was a steady increase, and by 2020, the number of piglets exported to Spain had already reached approximately 1,3 million.

And that wasn't the end of the story. Spanish integrations continued to focus on growth and didn't always have enough piglets to fill their own barns. Moreover, a new variant of the PRRS virus had been circulating for several years, putting pressure on the productivity of Spanish sows. This resulted in a further increase in demand.

A development that benefited the Dutch sow farming industry. The German pig farming sector, traditionally the main buyer of Dutch piglets, is shrinking sharply, and the demand for imported piglets is correspondingly declining. Moreover, the German retail sector has been focusing heavily on pork of German origin, causing foreign piglets to increasingly fall out of favor. Furthermore, Danish competition is fierce.

It seems that 2025 has been the peak
Between 2020 and 2025, the number of piglets exported to Spain will have grown from 1,3 million in 2020 to approximately 2,6 million in 2025. Last year, this growth was mainly achieved in the first half of the year. Since the significant weakening of the pig market last summer, weekly export figures have long since ceased to consistently exceed the 2024 level. They have increasingly fallen below it. Piglet exporters also indicate that new contracts for 2026 were already being considered more selectively and rigorously, and that the number of fixed contracts was already showing a downward trend.

The outbreak of African swine fever in Spain then truly broke the camel's back. The uncertainty about what 2026 will bring for the Spanish and European pig meat markets, which are burdened by a large supply, has led to a sharp decline in demand. While an average of 52.500 Dutch piglets crossed the Spanish border in the first 48 weeks, that number is significantly lower in the first weeks of 2026. In weeks 1 and 2, over 25.000 piglets went to Spanish buyers, a more than halved number compared to last year, according to figures from the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO.nl).

Pig market under pressure
The sharp decline in numbers is putting pressure on the (free) piglet market. Although the sector has shrunk significantly in the Netherlands, this applies to both sows and pig farms. A significant number of piglets still need to be sold abroad. The hope is that a stabilization in the Spanish pig market will increase the willingness to impose restrictions. However, the fact that Spanish integrations were already more reluctant to purchase piglets year-round before the outbreak of African swine fever raises concerns about exports and pricing in 2026, despite the fact that the number of sow farms in the Netherlands has also decreased.