News pig stock
More than a thousand stoppers in German pig farming
The number of pigs in Germany has been declining for some time. The balance was again drawn up in May and this shows that the number of breeding sows is shrinking by almost 3%. The number of finishing pigs has shrunk even more. The decrease is due to quitting entrepreneurs.
Figures from the German statistics agency Destatis show that the number of breeding sows fell to 1,8 million in May. This is a decrease of just under 3% compared to the count a year earlier. In addition, there has been a further decline since the penultimate count in november when the sow herd hit an all-time low.
What is striking is the significant shrinkage in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, which borders the Netherlands. There, the number of breeding sows fell by 6,9% to 395.000. In Lower Saxony, also adjacent to the Netherlands and the largest federal state in terms of breeding sows, the number of dams shrank 'worst' by half a percent to 456.000.
Almost 5% fewer fattening pigs
The total size of the German pig herd amounted to 25,9 million in May. This equates to a shrinkage of 3,7%, or 985.000 animals. The number of finishers decreased by 4,7% to 11,3 million. The contraction is also reflected in the lower slaughter numbers† There will also be fewer pigs in the pipeline in the coming months. In May, Germany had 7,8 million piglets, which is 2,1% less than a year earlier.
The increasing aging of German pig farmers and stricter laws and regulations are the basis for the decrease. Between May 2018 and May 2019, no fewer than 1.300 pig farmers threw in the towel. This means that Germany still has 21.600 pig farms.
Wouter Job
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