Inside: Pig Market
How many more fattening pigs does Germany have?
The size of the German fattening pig herd has increased considerably since May. As has been the case for years, the number of companies is declining.
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In November, Destatis counted 27,5 million pigs. Compared to 6 months earlier, this is an increase of 378.000 animals. However, compared to the November count in 2014, this is a decline of 800.000 pigs, as the count then stood at 28,3 million animals.
1,56
percent
More porkers
The number of fattening pigs has increased the most; by 2,8% to 12,2 million. The national picture does not correspond to the state Bavaria, where the fattening herd did shrink. The sow population, on the other hand, has remained more or less the same, at close to 1,9 million. The number of piglets (up to 20 kilos) has increased since May; by 123.000 to 8,04 million.
Once again, a downward trend is visible in the number of companies. Since May, the number of pig farms has shrunk by 1,5% to approximately 23.500 head in November. About 2 years earlier, 25.700 companies were counted.