Inside: Pig Market
EU pig stock grows by a million
European pig production is reported to increase slightly in 2018. In which countries will the pig population grow and where in Europe will there be a contraction?
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A forecast by AMI, a German market information agency, shows that the European pig herd will increase by 2018 million animals in 1 to 258 million head. This means that the downward trend of 2017 will not continue.
Spain is likely to strengthen its leading position with 2,6% more pigs to 50,6 million. The pig herd in Germany, the second largest in Europe, remains virtually the same at 44,1 million animals.
1,5
procent
Shrinkage in Belgium
The greatest growth will take place in Denmark. The Danes will grow in numbers by 3,5% next year to 32,8 million. This forecast is consistent with Danish statistics. The Netherlands follows in 4th place with 24 million pigs in 2018, an increase of 1,5% compared to this year. France actually shrinks by 1,5% to 23,3 million animals.
After Denmark, the greatest growth is probably in Poland. AMI assumes 3,1% growth to 16,6 million pigs. The expected shrinkage in Belgium of 2,5% to 10,6 million pigs is striking. With 10,3 million pigs (-0,7%), the pig herd in Italy is also shrinking. The pig herd in the United Kingdom is likely to reach 10 million pigs (+0,9%).