EU pig meat production in March

By Bethan Wilkins

According to the latest figures from Eurostat, the number of pigs slaughtered in the EU27 in March was up by 3% compared to last year, at 20.9 million head. However, it is worth noting that there was an extra working day in March compared with last year. The matter is complicated, though, by the introduction of measures to limit the spread of the coronavirus, which may have affected normal slaughter patterns. With all this in mind, the underlying trend in pig supplies is probably still one of decline, continuing the pattern from earlier in the year.

While some modest increase is possible, supplies are expected to remain generally tight throughout this year. Provisional figures for some key EU member states indicate that supplies were below year earlier levels in April.

Carcase weights increased somewhat, but overall pig meat production also increased by 3% in March compared to last year, to 1.97 million tonnes.

Output in the first quarter was therefore stable overall, at 5.89 million tonnes, despite an increase in working days.

The apparent increase in March resulted from higher throughput from Spain in particular (+10%, 442,000 head). Unlike most EU countries, the Spanish breeding herd has been in expansion. German slaughter was up to a lesser extent, increasing by 3% (158,000 head) on March 2019.

In contrast, pig slaughter in Italy was 18% (184,000 head) down on last year. Italy was the first European country to be seriously affected by the coronavirus, with the consequences and associated restrictions clearly limiting slaughter levels.

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