Smaller pig herd begins to emerge

In week 10, the slaughter figure in the Netherlands fell by 2,4 percent compared to the previous week, bringing the slaughter figure to 282.000 pigs. The decline in the pig population is clearly visible in the slaughter figures these weeks, because the numbers are 4 to 5 percent below the level of last year. The slaughter figure for week 10 also deviates negatively by more than 2 percent from the five-year average. While the weights were in an upward line between weeks 7 and 9, in week 10 there is a minus of 25 grams to 95,84 kilos.

The hooks in Germany are also less full for the second week in a row. Compared to week 9, the slaughter figure is 2,4 percent lower to 969.377 slaughtered pigs. This figure is almost in line with last year, but almost 2,5 percent below the five-year average. The weights in Germany are 16 grams higher at 97,68 kilos.

In France, the slaughter figures in recent weeks are again closer to the levels for previous years than in the first weeks of this year. In week 10, French slaughterhouses processed a total of 361.041 pigs, a minus of 0,5 percent compared to last year and 1,7 percent below the five-year average. In Denmark, the slaughter figures in the first 9 weeks of this year are between 4 and 10 percent behind 2016.

The balance sheet can be drawn up definitively for 2016. In the EU (28) the number of slaughters rose by 0,6 percent. This means that the Netherlands is moving in line with the European picture, as the same increase is occurring here. Of the five largest pig countries in Europe, only Spain was able to achieve more than one percent growth, given the increase of 2,5 percent.  

Graph: Percentage difference in slaughter between 2016 and 2015