The number of pigs in Germany was 22.3 million at the beginning of May, according to a report by the UK's Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), who cited Germany's Federal Statistical Office. This is the smallest number since the country was reunified in 1990, when 30.8 million pigs were kept.

Compared with the November livestock survey, the number of pigs decreased by 1.5 million, or 6.3%, and is the third significant decrease in a row. Compared with the last May survey, the pig population was down by 2.4 million, or 9.7%.

Recent poor market conditions and a lack of profitability, pre-dated by the presence of African swine fever in the German wild boar herd, will be influencing this decline, said the report. There have also been underlying concerns for some time about regulatory changes.G

Possible pessimism about the future prospects for the German pig sector are reflected in the number of holdings keeping pigs. This was down to 17,900 in the latest survey, a 10% decline since May 2021.

These figures indicate that German pig supplies are set to contract, with declines expected for some time. Overall EU supplies are also forecast to fall, despite continued growth in the Spanish herd, now taking over from Germany as Europe’s largest producer of pig meat.