All of the top 10 pig meat–producing in the EU in 2010 retained their place last year. Well ahead of the rest of the field is Germany, with an output of more than 5.56 million tonnes, 2.2 per cent or more than 120,000 above the previous year.

In second place, Spain achieved a 3.3 per cent increase in production to almost 3.48 million tonnes, followed by France, which experienced a marginal decline in output that took its 2011 total just under two million tonnes.

Polish pig meat production was 4.4 per cent higher last year at almost 1.82 million tonnes, and Danish output was a little under 1.72 million tonnes, 3.1 per cent more than 2010.

Italy experienced the greatest reduction in pig meat production in the top 10 countries of more than 62,000 tonnes to 1.57 million tonnes, while there was a 4.6 per cent increase in the Dutch volume to almost 1.35 million tonnes.

In 8th position is Belgium, where 1.4 per cent less pig meat was produced in 2011 than 2010 at just over 1.1 million tonnes. UK output was 31,555 tonnes or 4.1 per cent higher than the year before at just over 806,000 tonnes. Austrian output in 2011 hardly changed from the year before at more 543,000 tonnes.

Of the other EU counties, Ireland, Romania and Bulgaria recorded increases in pig meat output of more than 10,000 tonnes since 2010. Indeed, for Bulgaria, the percentage increase was 29 per cent.

Significant declines in 2011 were experienced in Hungary (down almost 29,000 tonnes or 6.9 per cent), the Czech Republic (a 13,000–tonne decrease or 4.7 per cent) and Slovakia (17 per cent less at 11,690 tonnes).

Further Reading

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You can view our report on the EU pig population in 2011 by clicking here.