Inside: Pig Market
Slaughterhouses are running at full capacity
It is clear from the slaughter figures in Europe that the slaughter lines are running at full speed. In Germany there is a slaughter record, while the hooks easily fill up in the Netherlands too.
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Last week, 317.000 pigs were slaughtered in the Netherlands. This is 2.000 fewer than in the previous week, but approximately 5% more than in the same week last year. The weights remain the same for the third week in a row (96,60 kilos). This means that the slaughtered pigs are on average 1,56 kilos heavier than last year.
Slaughter record in Germany
In Germany, with 1.048.004 pigs slaughtered, there is a provisional slaughter record. Compared to the same week last year, about 10.000 more pigs were slaughtered. Normally, the German slaughter figure peaks in the week before Christmas. This means that the record is likely to be surpassed. The weights go back half a kilo to 98,038 kilos.
In France, the slaughter figure is closest to last year's level. With 377.230 slaughters, just under 1.000 more pigs were slaughtered than last year. However, compared to the 5-year average, the slaughter figure is half a percent behind.
Never before this year have there been so many pigs hanging on slaughter hooks in Germany.