According to the latest EU Commission data, EU pork production during H1 2023 amounted to 10.3 million MT, a decrease of 8.9% compared to the same period in 2022. This reflects the lowest production output since 2005 when a total of 10.1 million MT of pork meat was produced during the first six months of the year.
Denmark and the Netherlands reported the biggest production decrease among EU countries during H1 2023. While Danish production decreased by 21% compared to the same period in 2022, production in the Netherlands decreased by 14% during the same period. Further, the four biggest producing countries (Spain, Germany, France, and Poland) all decreased their production significantly to 6.4 million MT during the first six months, down 10.7% compared to the same period last year.
The negative margins for pork farmers on the pork market in recent years is the main reason for the noticeable slump in slaughter numbers throughout the EU. This led to a drastic reduction in pig numbers across countries. Even though pork prices have been reported as profitable throughout most of 2023 for farmers, this did not stop the process of closing down farm and reducing pig herds.
