US pig supply rises despite price pressure

Not only in Europe are pig prices under pressure. Due to a global surplus, prices in the United States have also dropped sharply. American pig farmers are also struggling with weak domestic demand and a difficult world market. Meanwhile, however, supply continues to grow. The American pig price has fallen by 39.8% since the market peak this summer. On July 23, the United States was still paying $114.79 ($2.26 per pound) per CWT, according to the Iowa-Minnesota listing. Over the summer, the average price dropped to $69.08 ($1.36 per pound). Like in Europe, the demand for pork in the United States remains weaker than expected. The main reason for this has actually been the same for almost three years: simply high consumer prices. While pig prices in the United States are on the low side, supermarket prices are not being lowered. As a result, the demand for pork lags behind, to the detriment of cheaper poultry meat. In addition, the lower demand is attributed to a weaker export demand. To what extent this is true is unfortunately only partially supported by data, as the data provision from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is significantly lagging behind. This is still a consequence of the shutdown of the U.S. government earlier this year. In addition, layoffs at the USDA are causing delays. The latest data comes from September. In that month, exports were 2% lower, mainly due to weaker sales in Asia. An important reason for the lower price is also a structural surplus. In the United States, we see the well-known pig cycle at work. Since the beginning of 2024, the American pig price has risen sharply. As a result, the supply of pigs has increased, meaning there are simply more pigs than there is demand for. Pig supply increases The total American pig population stood at 75.55 million animals as of December 1, 2025. This is an increase of 1% compared to the same date a year earlier, according to the latest Quarterly Hogs and Pigs from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The number of slaughter pigs was 69.59 million, a year-on-year increase of 1%. This is the result of higher piglet production during the period from September to November 2025. The number of piglets was 35 million, a slight increase compared to the same period in 2024. The larger pig population has clear implications for supply. The U.S. expects that the number of slaughterings will increase by 1.3% in 2026 compared to the previous year. However, the effects of the low American pig price are slowly becoming visible. The pig population counted 1% fewer sows in the latest count, totaling 5.95 million animals. The number has slightly increased compared to the previous quarter. This is a sign that the market is already preparing for a contraction in supply.