Inside Pigs
Slaughter numbers caught up in December
2020 has been a turbulent year for the pig sector. This is also reflected in the slaughter figures. In December, catching up was made and the number of slaughters was higher than in 2019. How do the slaughter figures score for the whole of 2020?
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Over weeks 49 to 53, a total of more than 1,45 million pigs were slaughtered, which amounts to an average of approximately 294.286 pigs per week. In December 2019, the weekly average was 286.750 units. Taking into account the fact that there was an extra slaughter week last year, it appears that the number of slaughters last year was significantly higher than in 2019. Given the market situation, this is not surprising due to the oversupply of pigs and the inclusion of extra slaughter days.
Heavier pigs
In general, the pigs on the slaughter hook were heavier than last year. The slaughter figures increased, especially in week 50 and week 53, with an average weight of 100 kilos and 101 kilos per pig. For comparison: last year the slaughter weights were highest in week 52 with an average weight of 99,5 kilos. The meat percentages fluctuate between 58,7% and 58,9% with a single outlier in week 51 when the percentage was 59,2%.
2020 can't match 2019
If we look at the figures for the whole of 2020, the total number of slaughters is just over 15,815 million animals, which amounts to a weekly average of 298.403 thousand. In 2019, a total of 15,645 million pigs were on the slaughter hook, which amounts to a weekly average of 300.865 pigs. The weekly average of 2020 was approximately 2.000 units below the 2019 average, but it must be taken into account that there were 53 weeks in 2020.
Corona crisis leaves its mark
All in all, the pig sector suffered greatly from the corona crisis in 2020. The slaughters started the year well, but after a few months the corona crisis had a major impact on the market. Slaughterhouses suffered from many corona infections among staff and slaughter capacity stagnated. A number of slaughterhouses were even forced to close their doors.
This led to fewer pigs being slaughtered, reaching a low of 23 pigs per week in week 181.000. Since week 35, slaughter numbers have exceeded 300.000 again and efforts have been made to reduce the oversupply of pigs. Completely eliminating the oversupply has not been possible and 2021 will also start with a wide supply of pigs.