Dutch pork processors have seen a dramatic fall in pig numbers due to sector contraction.
Slaughter numbers down 7.4% year-on-year
Analysis by DCA Market Intelligence found that a total of 3,733,125 pigs were slaughtered up to and including week 14 of Q26. This is 300,000 fewer animals compared to the same period last year – representing a 7.4% drop.
This follows the roll-out of the Dutch livestock farm termination scheme – a voluntary initiative that compensated farmers for closing emissions-heavy sites. The initiative was introduced to help protect the overburdened ‘Natura 2000′ and contribute to the EU’s European Green Deal objectives.
In 2025, the number of total pigs in the Netherlands fell below 10 million – the lowest level in approximately 45 years; representing a broader downward trend that has been evident since 2022.
The highest levels were seen in the first quarter of 2021, when more than 4.5 million pigs slaughtered. Since then, there has been more than a 17% decline – with current pig levels around 780,000 lower.
However, total pork production has fallen less sharply due to pigs being slaughtered at higher average weights in recent years.
In recent years, Dutch slaughterhouses sourced more pigs from export flows, particularly animals that previously went to foreign slaughterhouses, such as in Germany, to offset falling domestic supply. But this buffer has now largely disappeared. Around 930,000 slaughter pigs were exported in the first quarter of 2016; this has fallen to about 100,000 animals in 2026.
Capacity utilisation suffering
Slaughterhouses in Dutch can handle more capacity than they are receiving, with the maximum processing capacity exceeding 300,000 pigs per week.
In the tightest weeks of the first quarter, available supply (including redirected export flows) stood at 270,000 animals. With seasonally lower supply expected during the summer months, they will likely continue to operate below their maximum output.
DCA Market Intelligence says it remains uncertain whether tighter supply will lead to higher pig prices. With Dutch abattoirs relying heavily on exports, it will depend on sales across Europe, where pork availability is currently plentiful.
Wageningen University & Research says the self-sufficiency rate of the Dutch pork supply chain is around 300%.
DCA says this has created tension in the market: slaughterhouses need sufficient supply to utilise their full capacity levels; however, they nervous about raising purchase prices because they may not be able to get a decent return on selling pork on the export markets.
