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Shrinking pig herds in Germany and Denmark
In both Germany and Denmark, the pig herd has shrunk considerably. In Germany the pig herd is now at the 1990 level, the number of pigs in Denmark is the lowest in ten years. In Germany it has also become known that the number of pig farms has fallen sharply compared to 2021.
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This is evident from the most recent figures from the German and Danish statistical offices. The national results of the May census in Germany show that on May 3 of this year approximately 22,29 million pigs were kept in Germany. That was 9,8%, more than 2,4 million animals, less than on the same date in 2021. This is evident from data from the statistical office destiny. The share of fattening pigs in the German pig herd is 46%, or 10,3 million animals. The number of finishers has decreased by 982.300 animals, a contraction of 8,7%. The number of piglets and young pigs has shrunk by 12,5%, a decrease of just under 3,2 million animals. In May, the pig herd in Germany consisted of almost 6,8 million piglets and approximately 3,8 million young pigs.
Significant decline in the number of pig farms
The number of pig farms in Germany stood at 3 on May 17.900, a decrease of 9,6% or nearly 1.900 farms since May 2021. In May 2020, the number was still 20.400 farms, Destatis reports. This means that in the past two years there has been a decrease of 12,54% or 2.600 companies. Danmark Statistik, the statistical office in Denmark, has not yet published current information on the development of the number of pig farms. However, it is obvious that the number will also decrease there, in view of the decline in the Danish pig population.
Danmark Statistics announced that a total of nearly 1 million pigs were kept in Denmark on 12,18 July this year. That is a contraction of 7,5% or, in absolute terms, 991.000 animals compared to last year. The number of finishers decreased by 8,2% to 2,79 million animals. The sow herd has also shrunk: by 6,5% to 1,19 million animals. The relatively strong decrease was seen in piglets up to 20 kilos. The quantity there decreased by 9% to more than 2,5 million piglets.
The contraction in both countries is largely the result of the extremely lousy pig market in the recent period. In the Netherlands, the pig population and the number of pig farms are also declining, encouraged by government cessation schemes.