News Pigs
Number of piglets per sow in the US increases significantly
The U.S. pig population continued to grow in 2024. On December 1, 2024, the number of pigs was 0,5% higher than a year earlier. This increase is mainly due to an increase in the number of piglets per sow.
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The increase is greater than expected. Market experts expected the pig herd to increase by 0,2% last year. Although the number of pigs has increased over a year, the size of the pig herd decreased by 0,8% compared to the third quarter.
The U.S. pig herd reached 1 million head on December 2024, 75,8. The year-over-year increase is significant, considering that the sow herd grew by only 0,1% (as expected). In practice, however, the number of piglets per sow increased more than expected. On average, U.S. sows gave birth to 11,92 piglets per litter. That is an increase of 2,3% compared to the previous year. The growth of the piglet herd between September and November in particular comes as a surprise. During this period, the number of piglets increased by 2% compared to the previous year, while the sow herd decreased by 0,2% during this period.
Exports continue to increase
The growth of the finishing pig population is mainly driven by strong exports. The United States is quite competitive, as pig prices remain low due to high supply. In the first ten months of 2024, US exports grew by no less than 5%.