October 1, 2008

EU pig numbers to drop sharply over the next 12 months

EU pig numbers are forecast to fall sharply over the next 12 months, a recent survey has found.

Pig numbers in the key European countries are down significantly, with signficant reductions recorded in Denmark, Spain and Poland.

The Danish herd in April stood at just over 12 million head, down 10 percent compared to last year. The Spanish and Polish herds in April fell by 8 percent and 13 percent respectively.

Germany, France, Italy, UK and Ireland all experienced slight falls in herd size in their June census figures.

Between these countries, the overall herd size fell by 1.5 percent to 56.8 million head.

It is predicted by the EU Commission that pig supplies will fall by as much as 2 percent by the end of the year.

EU pig supplies in the second half of the year is expected to fall 4 percent to 126.5 million head.