Analysis Pigs
Spanish pig slaughter heading for records?
Spanish pig slaughterhouses are clearly back on track, judging by the number of animals processed. After a slight decline in supply for several years, the number of slaughters is now rising rapidly. Over the first six months of 2025, the number of animals processed grew by more than 5%. The European leader in pork production must sell a significant portion of this production increase on the European market.
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Spanish processors slaughtered a total of 2025 million pigs in the first six months of 28,03. This compares to 26,65 million in the same period last year. This means that 1,38 million more animals were processed in the first half of the year. An increase of 5,2%. This should allow the heavily export-dependent Spanish pig sector to sell significantly more volume to third countries.
Production volume to increase even more
Because the average slaughtered weight also continued to rise, the increase in the total volume of pork produced was even higher. The volume of processed pork rose to 2,69 million tons. This is 7,3%, or 183.000 tons, more than the 2,51 million tons produced in the same period in 2024.
|
Pork production Spain (Jan-Jun) |
2023 |
2024 |
2025 |
|
Number of slaughters |
26.430.000 |
26.655.000 |
28.020.000 |
|
Volume (ton) |
2.491.000 |
2.507.000 |
2.690.000 |
Export volume increased
Producers are able to sell some of the additional volume on markets outside the European Union. For example, Spanish exports rose to a total of 729.000 tons between January and June. In the same period last year, the volume was 660.000 tons. This represents an increase of 69.000 tons this year, or 10,5%. At the same time, this also means that a significant portion of the 183.000-ton production increase must be allocated to the domestic and European markets.
Spanish pork production reached a historic peak in the first half of 2022, when 29,04 million pigs were processed. After a sharp decline in 2023 and 2024 to around 26,65 million animals processed, slaughter numbers are now rising again. If growth continues at this pace, the 2022 production records will be within reach next year. Against the backdrop of a saturated European pig market, the Spanish production push could further increase the pressure on the pig market in the coming year.