Pig farms: where are there significantly fewer now?

The number of Dutch pig farms in 2010 amounted to 7.030 pigs. That number dropped to 2017 companies in 4.303. But in which province has the number of pig farms fallen the most? Statistics from Statistics Netherlands provide the answer.

The number of pig farms in the Netherlands decreased by 2010 between 2017 and 2.727. That equates to a percentage decrease of 38,8%. But where is the decline strongest?

Strongest absolute decline
If we only look at the absolute declines, the province of Gelderland is at the top. In 2010, there were still 1.786 pig farms in this province. That number has fallen in 7 years to 1.007 companies in 2017. This equates to a decrease of 779 companies, which corresponds to a percentage decrease of 43,6%.

The province of North Brabant is in second place. The number of pig farms in this province amounted to 2010 farms in 2.313. That number fell to 2017 companies in 1.574, a decrease from no less than 739 companies. In percentage terms, this corresponds to a decrease of 31,9%.

Overijssel is in third place. The number of pig farms in this province amounted to 2010 pigs in 1.237. That number has fallen in 7 years to 695 pig farms in 2017. This is a decrease of 542 farms, or a decrease of 43,8%.

next to the stage
The province of Limburg is just missing the point. In 2017, this province had approximately 429 pig farms. In 2010, that was 648 companies. This means that the number of companies has decreased by 7 companies in 219 years, or a decrease of 33,8%.

The fifth place is for Utrecht. The number of pig farms in this province amounted to 2017 farms in 193. In 2010, there were still 365 pig farms. This means that the number of companies has decreased by 172, which is a decrease of 47,1%.

Percentage Decreases
If we look at the largest percentage declines, we see that the top 5 changes slightly. South Holland is in first place. In 2010, there were still 207 pig farms in this province. That has decreased in 7 years to 98 farms in 2017. That means a decrease of 109 pig farms. However, in percentage terms the decrease is much larger, namely 52,7%.

Second place is for Utrecht. This province was already mentioned in the top 5 above. It showed that the number of pig farms has decreased by 7% in the past 47,1 years. Third place is for the province of Overijssel. This province was also discussed and showed a decrease of 2010% between 2017 and 43,8.

The fourth place is for Gelderland. This province was at the top of the previous top 5 and therefore showed the largest decrease in absolute figures. The percentage decrease between 2010 and 2017 amounts to 43,6%. Fifth place is for Friesland. The number of pig farms in this province amounted to 2010 farms in 75. That number dropped to 2017 companies in 45, down from 30 companies. However, in percentage terms this is a decrease of 40%.

Striking
What is immediately noticeable is that there have been no increases in the number of pig farms in the past 7 years. The smallest decrease is for Zeeland. In 2010, 50 pig farms were registered in this province. In 2017 there are still 37 companies left. That means 7 companies have disappeared in the past 13 years, a drop of 26%.

Kimberly Baker

Kimberly Bakker is an all-round editor at Boerenbusiness. She also has an eye for the social media channels of Boerenbusiness.

k.baker @boerenbusiness. Nl

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