Pig slaughter falls far back during Christmas recess

In the run-up to Christmas, slaughterhouses in the Netherlands scaled up considerably to accommodate demand. In week 50, the slaughter figure peaked at 334.000, which was the second highest weekly level in 2021, according to figures from the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO.nl). In week 51 (the week of Christmas) the figure dropped to 259.000, with an average slaughter weight of 99,4 kilos. In the last week of the year, the slaughter figure fell to 222.000.

The decline is prompted by the drop in demand in the meat processing industry, which will not fully restart until next week. In addition, the staff shortage was even more pressing during the holidays, because migrant workers often celebrate the holidays in their home country. The staff shortage is also a major challenge this year. The declining slaughter figures mean that the pig supply at the beginning of this year is described as ample. This will probably normalize again by mid-January.

Small decline in 2021
In 2021, 15.845.324 pigs were slaughtered in the Netherlands, with an average slaughter weight of 99,8 kilos. This is a decrease of 0,2% compared to last year, which in concrete numbers amounts to a reduction of 30.000 pigs slaughtered. This does not alter the fact that the restructuring in pig farming is not reflected in the slaughter figures. In the first half of 2021, slaughter figures were often above the 2020 level, but dropped below from the second half of the year.