Inside Pigs
Corona makes Italian pig herd grow
The Italian pig population has grown, for the first time in 3 years. The increase is largely due to an increase in the number of finishing pigs.
According to Eurostat, the Italian pig population in May amounted to approximately 8,91 million pigs. Compared to the same period last year, this is an increase of 3,1%. It is the first time in 3 years that the pig population has managed to grow.
Impact of the corona crisis
It is now clear that the corona crisis is leaving a clear mark on the pig market. The Italian pig market has also not escaped the negative consequences and suffered from lower slaughter capacity.
The increase in the number of pigs is therefore most likely a result of the lower slaughter capacity. The number of finishing pigs was 3,7% higher than last year and amounted to almost 5,3 million heads. The number of breeding sows was also higher, increasing by 2,1% to 591.000. In this, the number of gestational sows increased by 2,8% to 488.000 and the number of sows uncovered decreased by 1,1% to 103.000.
Chanti Oussoren
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