Germany: Pig population continues to decline significantly
In a two-year comparison, the population even decreased by 16.1% or 3.99 million animals. This continues the downward trend in pig farming. Never since German unification in 1990 have fewer pigs been kept in Germany (1990: 30.8 million animals).
As of May 3, 2023, 9.5 million fattening pigs were kept in Germany, which was 1.7% or 169,200 animals fewer than half a year earlier. The number of piglets fell even more significantly by 5.2% or 330,300 animals to 6.0 million. The number of young pigs fell by 3.2% or 124,800 to 3.7 million animals.
Number of pig farms decreased by 43.4% in a ten-year comparison
The number of pig farms continued to decline. On May 3, 2023, there were 15,900 pig-keeping farms, which is 6.0% or 1,000 fewer farms than on November 3, 2022. Compared to the previous year (May 3, 2022), the number of pig-keeping farms fell by 10.8%. (-1 900 farms) and by 19.3% in a two-year comparison (-3 800 farms).
The ten-year comparison also shows the decreasing trends in farms and pigs kept: the number of pigs has fallen by 25.2% or 7.0 million animals since 2013, while the number of farms has even decreased by 43.4% (-12,200 farms).
Cattle population almost constant
In contrast to the pig population, the number of cattle kept in Germany has recently remained almost constant. As of May 3, 2023, 10.9 million cattle were kept in Germany, including 3.8 million dairy cows. That was 0.5% or 60,200 cattle and 0.9% or 34,500 dairy cows fewer than in November 2022.
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