Xinhua News
8th February 2023 – (Copenhagen) Denmark’s pig inventory has decreased by 12.2 percent over the past year and is at its lowest level in 25 years, Statistics Denmark said on Wednesday.
Denmark is one of the world’s largest exporters of pig meat, which accounts for nearly half of the country’s agricultural exports and more than 5 percent of its total exports.
The number of pigs had decreased by 1.6 million to 11.5 million by 1st January, 2023.
“The pig population is declining due to poor production economics, which has forced several producers to shut down production in whole or in part,” Statistics Denmark said in a press release.
The number of sows decreased by 105,000, or 10.3 percent, to 915,000, while the number of pregnant sows decreased by 10.4 percent to 517,000.
“As a result of the declining sow population, the number of slaughters and piglet exports in Denmark will decrease,” the release said.
The significant decline in Denmark’s pig population is not geographically isolated. According to Eurostat, the European Union’s (EU) statistical office, the pig population in Germany also saw a year-on-year decline of 10 percent.
Danish pig meat is exported to more than 140 countries, with Germany, the United Kingdom, Poland, China and Japan being the largest markets in terms of volume.