Despite the price drop, no decline in the sow herd in the EU yet

The fact that the price crisis in the European pig market started more than a year ago with a drop in prices has so far not led to a strong decline in the number of pigs in Europe. That is evident from provisional figures from the European statistical office Eurostat. Although not all countries have yet submitted figures, the trend points to a slight shrinkage in the number of animals. The number of counted pigs and sows is not declining everywhere. The May/June count does not take place in every individual country. A total count of all European pigs only takes place in December. The May/June count in any case includes the main pig-producing countries Spain, Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands. This shows that the pig herd in Germany and Denmark has grown. In Spain and the Netherlands, clearly fewer pigs were counted. Spain: fewer pigs but more sows Although slaughter figures in the first half of the year were still substantially higher than a year earlier, growth came to a complete stop toward May and June. In total, Spain counted 33.1 million pigs in May/June. Last year there were still 33.8 million, a decrease of 2.1%. The count in Spain appears to align well with the development in the number of piglets imported into the country. Imports fell sharply in the first months of the year compared with a year earlier, mainly because of the outbreak of African swine fever in the autumn of 2025. The number of sows in Spanish barns, however, did show growth. The total number of (young) sows weighing more than 50 kilos came to 2.68 million animals. Last year at the same time there were still 2.62 million. An increase of 60,000 animals, or 2.2%. Striking about the Spanish figures is that in two subcategories there was a sharp decline in the number of animals, while other categories show strong increases. For example, the number of pigs in the 20 to 50 kilo category fell by 1.2 million animals to about 6.5 million. In the 50 to 80 kilo category, the decline amounted to 0.9 million animals. The number of piglets weighing less than 20 kilos, however, increased by around 0.8 million. The number of heavy pigs from 80 to 110 kilos also rose, by about 0.5 million animals. The decrease in the number of pigs in the middle category may be related to a temporarily higher slaughter of slaughter piglets last autumn and this spring as a result of difficult market conditions. Germany: slight increase in animal numbers A total of 21 million pigs were counted on German farms, about 0.1 million more than in the same period last year. At that time there were still 20.9 million pigs in German barns. The number of sows also increased slightly, from 1.39 million animals in 2025 to about 1.41 million now. That is an increase of 20,000 sows. Denmark increases The number of pigs in Denmark came to 12.19 million. An increase of 0.38 million animals, or 3.2% compared with the 11.89 million animals in 2025. The number of sows was slightly lower than in 2025. About 10,000 fewer sows were counted. The number of sows therefore came to 1.14 million animals. Fewer pigs in the Netherlands The stop schemes have led to a considerably lower number of pigs in our own country. In total, there were 9.19 million pigs in Dutch barns during the spring count. In 2025 there were still 9.86 million at the same time, a decrease of 6.8%. The number of sows was also smaller than in the spring of 2025. The total number of sows, including young animals of 50 kilos and heavier, came to 748,000 animals. In 2025 there were still 793,000. Overall picture: slight shrinkage in animal numbers If the counts from the smaller countries participating in the May/June count are also included, the figures point to a small shrinkage of the pig herd. In the European countries for which the figures are known, twelve countries in total, including Serbia as a non-EU country, the number of counted animals was about 1% below last year's level. The number of sows remained unchanged in these countries and the counted number of piglets weighing 20 kilos or less was a few percent above the 2025 level. A rapid and structural decline in the number of pig slaughters is therefore not expected for the time being.