EU livestock numbers fall as price volatility reshapes markets
Poultry prices drop in 2024 despite post-2020 gains
19 January 2026
1 minute read
By: Livestock numbers across the European Union continued to decline between 2009 and 2024, while output prices for most animal sectors rose sharply after 2020, according to new data from Eurostat’s Key figures on the European food chain – 2025 edition.
At the end of 2024, the EU had 132 million head of pigs, 72 million head of bovine animals, and 67 million head of sheep and goats on farms. Between 2009 and 2024, the combined number of pigs, bovine animals, sheep and goats fell 12.2%, from 309 million head to 271 million. Goat numbers declined most sharply, down 18.1%, while bovine animal numbers fell 10% over the period.
Pigs remained the largest livestock category in the EU, though pig numbers also trended downward after 2020. Sheep numbers declined steadily, while goat populations remained relatively stable until recent years.
Price trends showed greater volatility. Eurostat data indicate that prices for live pigs were more cyclical and volatile than for other livestock, particularly after 2020. Pig prices rose 25.3% in 2022 and 22.8% in 2023, but fell 8.3% in 2021 and 7.4% in 2024.
By contrast, output prices for sheep and goats increased at a relatively rapid and regular pace between 2020 and 2024. In 2024, annual price developments were up 11.4% for sheep and goats and 3.9% for cattle, while prices fell for poultry, down 5.3%, and for pigs, down 7.4%.
Source: Eurostat, Key figures on the European food chain – 2025 edition.
