According to the national statistics office, Austria had 2,469,724 pigs as of 1 June. The 0.7% year-on-year decline followed an even sharper decrease of 2.2% in the previous period.
The number of piglets and young pigs stood at 1.27 million head, 1.2% lower than a year earlier. At the same time, the number of finishing pigs increased by 0.4% to 997,900 head.
The breeding herd declined by 2.8% to 201,900 head.
Among finishing pigs, the number of animals weighing 50–80 kg remained virtually unchanged at 492,600 head. The number of pigs weighing 80–110 kg increased by 0.6% to 402,800, while those weighing more than 110 kg rose by 1.8% to 102,600 head.
In the breeding segment, the number of young sows fell by 2.5% to 39,900 head, while older sow numbers declined by 2.9% to 157,400. At the same time, the number of breeding boars increased by 0.7% to 4,600 head.
Producers Report Significant Losses
Earlier this summer, representatives of Austria’s pig sector met with Agriculture and Forestry Minister Norbert Totschnig to discuss the difficult situation on the domestic market.
Franz Rauscher, chairman of Pig Farming Austria, and Rupert Hagler, chairman of Austrian Pig Exchange eGen, highlighted increasing price pressure, producers’ economic losses and the risk of lower future investment in the sector.
According to Rauscher, the current situation could have long-term consequences not only for farms, but also for Austria’s level of pork self-sufficiency.
Losses of Up to €20 per Pig
Industry representatives cite export restrictions caused by animal disease outbreaks in major European producing countries, as well as global market imbalances, among the reasons for the difficult market situation.
According to their estimates, these factors have led to oversupply and a sharp decline in prices over the past six months. Profitability in Austria’s pig sector has been deteriorating since 2025.
Pig Farming Austria estimates that producers may currently be losing up to €20 per pig, while the combined weekly losses of local family farms amount to around €1.6 million.
Higher Welfare Requirements Affect Competitiveness
Another challenge identified by the sector is the difference in production requirements across European countries.
Austria has significantly tightened its legal standards for pig housing and welfare. However, industry representatives note that complying with stricter requirements increases production costs and weakens the competitive position of Austrian farms on the European market.
Against this background, the continued decline in the breeding herd may provide an additional indication of future trends in the country’s pork production.
PigUA.info, based on materials from foodagribusiness.world