The European pig herd has grown last year. The number of breeding sows, on the other hand, has remained virtually stable and is declining marginally, according to preliminary figures from the European Commission.
The preliminary results (from 15 of the 27 EU member states) of the recent livestock census suggest that the European pig herd grew last year. According to the figures, the number of pigs in these Member States increased by 1,7% to 74,85 million head. With regard to breeding sows, the herd in question remained virtually stable with a total of 5,51 million. That is 10.000 fewer sows than in 2019.
Decrease in the Netherlands and Germany
The vast majority of pigs are kept in Spain. There were 32,67 million units in December. In 2019, Spain already had the largest share of the European pig herd, but last year the number of pigs grew by 4,6%. Almost 28% of the European pig herd comes from Spain.
The Dutch pig herd numbered approximately 11,53 million head and decreased by 3,2% compared to last year. The Netherlands and Germany, where the pig herd stagnated by 0,2%, are the only top European countries where the pig herd has fallen. For Germany it is even the first decline in almost 20 years.
Fewer sows
In contrast to the entire pig herd, the sow herd has declined. In total, Europe had approximately 12,22 million sows in December. Compared to December 2019, this is a decrease of 1,2%. In the most important pig countries, the largest decline occurred in the Dutch pig herd. It shrank by as much as 11,6%. There was also a significant decrease of 5,4% in Germany. The decrease is in line with the shrinking of the sector, in which the stopper scheme played a major role in the Netherlands.
In France, Denmark and Poland, there was a growth in the sow herd. The French and Polish sow herds increased proportionately faster than the entire pig herd, at 6,5% and 7,7%. The Italian sow herd also rose faster than the entire pig herd, at 2,3%. The Danish sow herd also grew by 2,3%, but that growth did not exceed the increase of the entire pig herd.