News Pigs
Chinese government intervenes again in pig market
The Chinese pig industry will meet next week in Beijing to discuss how to reduce the sow herd by one million animals. The pig herd is simply too large for the market size, putting such severe pressure on prices that Chinese pig farmers continue to operate at a loss.
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The Chinese market has been too large for demand for almost three years. Therefore, in 2023, China decided to reduce its sow herd to 39 million animals. At that time, the country had 41 million sows. The decline was initially rapid: the sow herd fell to 40 million. Then the decline stalled, and the number is now back to 40,43 million.
As a result of the decline, the Chinese pig price has fallen to 14,66 yuan (€1,75 at current exchange rates). When the sow herd was at its lowest last year, the price was around 20 yuan (€2,39).