A slight increase after years of decline
After years of steady declines in pig slaughter, the first half of the year saw a minimal increase of 0.4 percent, according to current data from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). The figures indicate that slaughter numbers are stabilizing at a reduced level.
According to Destatis, 21.9 million pigs were slaughtered in Germany in the first six months of 2024, which is 78,100 more pigs than in the previous year. The amount of pork produced in the first half of 2024 was 2.1 million tons, 1.1 percent (+22,400 tons) more than in the same period last year.
For the first time since 2016, after a continuous decline in slaughter in Germany, a slight increase in pork production was observed in the first half of the year. However, 7.4 million more pigs were slaughtered in the first half of 2016 than in 2024.
Slaughter of imported pigs decreased
96.6% of slaughtered pigs (21.2 million head) were of domestic origin. Here too, there was an increase of 0.4%, or 86,600 animals, compared to the previous year. In the first half of the year, 734,000 pigs of foreign origin were slaughtered. This means a decrease of 1.1% compared to the same period of the previous year. The share of pigs of foreign origin in the total number of slaughtered pigs in the first half of 2024 was 3.4%.
Pork still accounts for the largest share of meat production
For years, pork has accounted for the largest share of commercial meat production in Germany. In the first half of 2024, 62.0% of the meat produced came from slaughtered pigs. This was followed by poultry with a share of 23.0% and beef with 14.6%.
