EU pig slaughter forecast to increase - GAIN
Slaughter forecast to increase by 0.9%
5 November 2024
1 minute read
By: In 2023, EU piglet production, swine slaughter and inventories reached a record low. However, the reduced supply of piglets combined with plummeting feed prices buoyed piglet prices which incentivised breeders to retain their sows, according to a recent US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) report.
During 2023, the sow herd grew most significantly in Spain, Poland, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Bulgaria. The larger inventories of sows supported an increase of piglet production since the last quarter of 2023 and an increase of slaughter from the second quarter of this year (assuming a seven-months life cycle of swine).
During the first half of 2024, Eurostat statistics report a slight increase of official slaughter by +0.11%, with in absolute terms the most significant increases in Poland and Hungary. For the whole year, the EU slaughter is forecast to increase by 0.9%.
