October 18, 2021

 

Spain's swine slaughter, pork production saw increases in 2020

 

 

Spain continued to hit record levels in pork production and exports in 2020, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

 

According to Spanish official data, in 2020, total swine slaughtered grew 6% compared to 2019 to 56 million animals.  Additionally, Spanish pork meat production rose 7.8% to five million tonnes, another record level for Spanish pork production.

 

The growth was mainly due to the strong imports of live hogs for slaughter (mainly from the Netherlands, France, Portugal, and Denmark) during the last quarter of 2020, as these countries diverted their live swine exports away from northern EU slaughterhouses due to African swine fever (ASF) outbreaks in those areas. Pork from these imported hogs was used by the processing sector for domestic pork consumption.

 

Spain's swine sector expects to reduce live hog imports in 2021 and 2022, returning to the slaughtering of only domestic hogs.

 

Eurostat data for December 2020 shows Spain's pig population hitting another record level of 32.8 million swine animals, a 5% increase compared to the previous year. The country's sow population also grew 2.2% to 2.635 million sows. According to the sector, Spanish sows are also expected to grow slightly in 2022.  Spanish pork production may continue growing in 2021, although at a lower rate due to reduced demand from China. Chinese demand for Spanish pork in the first semester of 2021 continued to be as strong as in 2020, but since mid-June 2021, Spanish pork exports to China experienced a decline as China's demand decreased. 

 

Industry players remained conservative on forecasts for 2022 as a result of uncertainties in the current pork market. For this reason, Spanish pork production (at around five million tonnes) and exports may remain flat.  Future expansions in pork production will also be limited in order to help current farms reduce the nitrogen and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by adapting their installations, feed formulas and manure management. These actions are meant to improve the Spanish swine sector in the areas of sustainability and animal welfare as part of the EU Green Deal strategy.  

 

Spain is a net exporter of pork and exports 55% of its total pork production.

 

According to Trade Data Monitor, LLC in 2020, total Spanish pork exports increased 21.5% to 2.7 million tonnes CWE, valued at $7.2 billion.  This increase was primarily driven by a 60% jump in exports to non-EU countries (1.6 million tonnes), shipped mainly to China, which represented 31.5% of the total EU pork exports to China. 

 

Spanish pork exports to China grew 136% to 1.2 million tonnes and were valued at almost $3 billion. Spanish share of the Chinese pork market also grew to 44.6% and continued to be the major pork supplier to the Chinese market.  

 

In 2020, for the first time, Spanish pork exports to non-EU markets surpassed exports to the EU-27, which represented only 40% of Spain's global pork exports. 

This means that Spain's pork exports are fluctuating from the European Union to Asia, mainly to China.  

 

Last year, Spanish pork shipments to Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Taiwan and other Asian markets decreased due to the pandemic but recovered during the first seven months of 2021, particularly for exports to the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam and Canada. 

 

Latin America is also a major destination for Spanish pork exports. Spanish pork exporters continue to diversify markets as an alternative to China.

 

In 2021, the Spanish pork industry expects stability in exports to non-EU countries, mainly driven by uncertainties in the Chinese market, as Chinese pork demand may decline.

 

- USDA