Fewer and fewer pigs in North Rhine-Westphalia

In North Rhine-Westphalia, the number of pigs has continued to fall in recent months, according to official statistics from the German federal state. The number of companies also shows a decreasing trend.

Last May there were 7,12 million pigs registered in North Rhine-Westphalia, a decrease of 2,2% compared to last November's count; although this may be due to so-called seasonal factors. However, even compared to the May census in 2017, a decrease of 1,7% is visible. The downward trend is also in the other German federal states visible.

More piglets
The shrinkage is visible in all age categories, except for the piglets. The number of piglets was 1,5% larger last May to 1,93 million, compared to 1 year earlier. The largest decrease is visible in the number of young finishers (up to 50 kilos); the size of the group was 6,5% lower to 1,4 million units. These figures suggest that supply in the federal state will be tighter in the short term, but will increase again towards the autumn.

The number of pig farms in North Rhine-Westphalia decreased in 1 year by about 300 to more than 7.100 pigs. North Rhine-Westphalia has been an important market for piglets for the Netherlands for many years.

Wouter Job

Wouter Baan is editor-in-chief of Boerenbusiness. He also focuses on dairy, pig and meat markets. He also follows (business) developments within agribusiness and interviews CEOs and policymakers.

w.baan@boerenbusiness. Nl

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