News Pigs
Germany is slaughtering significantly fewer pigs this year
The number of German pig slaughters decreased again in the first half of 2023, according to data from the statistics office of the German government Destatis. Due to the lower slaughter figure, German meat production is falling. In addition, the dependence on pig imports is increasing.
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A total of 21,6 million pigs were slaughtered in Germany. This meant that the slaughter volume decreased by 2,2 million pigs, a decrease of no less than 9,2% compared to the same period in 2022. There was already a similar decrease in 2022. Compared to 2021, the slaughter figure decreased by 8,9%.
Pork production fell to 2023 million tonnes in 2,1. In total, production was 213.000 tons or 9,4% lower than in the same period of 2022. This made Germany more dependent on the import of live cattle. The number of pigs of German origin slaughtered in our eastern neighbors fell by 10%. A total of 741.300 pigs were imported for slaughter, 19,6% more than the previous year. As a result, the percentage of imported pigs in German slaughterhouses increased from 2,6% to 3,4%.