Danish pig numbers down, a little

By Bethan Wilkins

According to provisional figures published by Statistics Denmark, the number of pigs recorded on 1 October totalled 13.21 million head. This was 1% lower compared with the same time last year but similar to the previous quarter.

Bear in mind that the number of pigs recorded at this time in 2020 was likely boosted somewhat by processing delays due to COVID-19 challenges. Related to this, the number of pigs being fed for slaughter in Denmark declined by 2% year-on-year, accounting for most of the fall in the overall pig population.

There was a 2% decline in the breeding herd to 1.26 million head. Although numbers of in-pig gilts were up, a 7% decline in maiden gilts suggests some further decline may be expected for the Danish pig breeding herd. Piglet numbers were also lower, decreasing by 1% to 2.69 million head. This suggests productivity has not increased and compensated for falling sow numbers, as can often be the case.

The EU pig industry overall faces a challenging profitability situation at the moment, which might be expected to lead to further contraction in the Danish pig herd. However, the small degree of change seen so far may not have much overall impact on pig availability, particularly if productivity improvements are seen.

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