Pig meat production continues to decline in EU

Total pig production was down 6.1% in October to 1.79 million tonnes (compared to October 2021). The total volume of pig meat produced in the EU for the year to date (January to October 2022) was down 5.2% to 18.3 million tonnes.

Slaughterings also saw a year-on-year decline – in October a reported 19.29 million head of pigs were slaughtered in abattoirs, a decline of 6.1% compared to the same period in 2021.

Total slaughtered down

This brought the total number of pigs slaughtered at abattoir for the year to date (Jan-Oct) to 196.20 million head, down 4.6% on the same period in 2021.

Spain and Germany were the top producers of pig meat, totalling 4.17 million tonnes and 3.72 million tonnes respectively for the year so far. However, nearly all EU nations are in decline with Germany, Poland and Denmark having recoded the largest volume decline, losing 407,000 tonnes, 141,000 tonnes and 107,000 tonnes respectively so far in 2022.

Producers in the EU are facing similar pressure to those in the UK with input costs squeezing farm margins and consumer demand easing due to the cost-of-living crisis as well as coping with disease outbreaks.

UK pig production

The cost of pig production in the UK increased in 2021, with pig producers struggling to hit margins despite positive prices in 2022.

The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board’s Pig Cost of Production in Selected Countries report found that GB costs for indoor pigs increase 20% to £1.79, up 20% compared with the previous year.

Looking ahead to 2023, the EU forecasted a further production decline of 1% with domestic consumption expected to decline 2%. Longer term, it was anticipated that production would continue to ease 1% per year over the next 10 years with demand decreasing 4% over the same period.