More pig slaughter
The latest data from the European Union Statistical Office (Eurostat) show an increase in pig slaughter by 2.0%. in the period from January to April 2024 compared to the same period last year. In the first four months of this year, 74.85 million pigs were slaughtered in EU member states. Slaughter weights were much higher, which resulted in an increase in the amount of pork produced by 3.7%. up to 6.95 million tons.
Stronger growth in Eastern Europe
Particularly strong increases in slaughter were recorded in Croatia (+12.8%), Bulgaria (+12.7%), Poland (+10.9%) and Hungary (+10.3%). An increase in pork production was also recorded in the main pork-producing countries. In Spain the increase was 2.8 percent, in Germany 2.9 percent and in France 3.1 percent. In Italy, the volume of slaughter increased by 3.2% and in Belgium by 5.3%.
The slaughter weight of pigs in Denmark has increased significantly
The Netherlands and Denmark saw increases of 2.8% each. Particularly noticeable is the growing slaughter volume in Denmark, where almost 200,000 fewer pigs were slaughtered than in the same period last year. However, the almost 6 kg higher slaughter weight led to more pork.
Production collapse in Greece
Pork production decreased only in a few smaller Member States, such as Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Greece. According to Eurostat data, the declines ranged from 1.6 percent. in Latvia to 18.4 percent in Greece.
