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EU Pig Populations – 2010 – Update

The latest update for the EU pig population from Eurostat completes the data set and reveals an estimated fall of more than 926,000 animals or 0.6 per cent from the previous year to bring the EU total to just under 151 million pigs in 2010. Jackie Linden, senior editor, highlights the important trends for ThePigSite.

23 September 2011

4 minute read

In its latest update, Eurostat reports that there were just short of 151 million pigs in the European Union in 2010. Comparisons with previous years need to be viewed with caution as the figures for Greece and Slovenia are still provisional although Ireland has now amended its figure for 2009 and completed the data for 2010. Figures quoted below include the provisional figures for the two countries named.

The latest total of 151 million for the EU-27 represents a fall of 926,600 animals or 0.6 per cent compared to the equivalent figure for the previous year. The table below shows the counts for 2009 and 2010, as well as the change and percentage change between those years for each country and the EU-27.

Germany remains the country with the largest pig population at just over 26.9 million, an increase of almost 60,000 pigs or 0.2 per cent from 2009.

Remaining in second place in the EU rankings is Spain and there too, the pig population is higher – by 1.4 per cent from the previous year – at 25.7 million.

The latest figures reveal that Poland has overtaken France for third position in the EU pig population rankings after counting 3.7 per cent more pigs in 2010 at almost 14.8 million.

France registered a fall in the pig count by 489,000 or 3.4 per cent for 2010 to reach a total of almost 14.1 million pigs.

After reporting an increase in the pig population for 2009, fifth-placed Denmark had a total of almost 12.3 million pigs in 2010, which is 580,000 fewer or 4.5 per cent below the previous year.

Other countries reporting significant increases in their pig populations in absolute terms were Italy (+164,000), the Netherlands (+98,000), Greece (+14,000) and Latvia (+13,200).

Significant declines in pig population between 2009 and 2010 were recorded in Romania (-435,000), Portugal (-180,000), Sweden (-96,00), Hungary (-79,000), Bulgaria (-65,800), Slovakia (-53,600) and Belgium (-51,600).

Numbers of pigs in the EU - 2009 and 2010 ('000; as of 19 September July 2011)
	2009	2010	Difference	% change
EU-27	151,910.7	150,984.1	-926.6	-0.6
Germany	26,841.0	26,900.8	+59.8	+0.2
Spain	25,342.6	25,704.0	+361.4	+1.4
Poland	14,252.5	14,775.7	+523.2	+3.7
France	14,552.0	14,063.0	-489.0	-3.4
Denmark	12,873.0	12,293.0	-580.0	-4.5
Netherlands	12,108.0	12,206.0	+98.0	+0.8
Italy	9,157.1	9,321.1	+164.0	+1.9
Belgium	6,227.9	6,176.3	-51.6	-0.8
Romania	5,793.4	5,358.8	-436.6	-7.5
UK	4,423.0	4,385.0	-38.0	-0.9
Hungary	3,247.0	3,168.0	-79.0	-2.4
Austria	3,137.0	3,134.2	-2.8	-0.1
Portugal	2,342.9	2,144.7	-180.2	-7.8
Czech Republic	1,913.7	1,846.0	-67.7	-3.5
Sweden	1,615.8	1,520.1	-95.7	-5.9
Ireland	1,501.9	1,500.4	-1.5	-0.1
Finland	1,353.3	1,339.9	-13.4	-1.0
Greece	1,073.0 p	1,087.0 p	+14.0	+1.3
Lithuania	928.2	929.4	+1.2	+0.1
Slovakia	740.9	687.3	-53.6	-7.2
Bulgaria	729.8	664.0	-65.8	-9.0
Cyprus	463.3	463.7	+0.4	+0.1
Slovenia	415.2	395.6 p	-19.6	-4.7
Latvia	376.5	389.7	+13.2	+3.5
Estonia	365.1	371.7	+6.6	+1.8
Luxembourg	88.6	89.4	+0.8	+0.9
Malta	65.9	69.3	+3.4	+5.2
p=provisional Data from Eurostat