According to preliminary data from the German Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), commercial slaughterhouses in Germany produced almost 3.4 million tonnes of meat in the first half of 2026. This was 14,700 tonnes, or 0.4%, less than in January–June 2025.
During this period, German slaughterhouses processed a total of 24 million pigs, cattle, sheep, goats and horses, as well as 343.2 million poultry — chickens, turkeys and ducks.
Pig Slaughter Rises to 22.2 Million Head
The number of pigs slaughtered in the first half of the year increased by 0.5%, or 107,000 head, to 22.2 million.
The vast majority were pigs of German origin. A total of 21.9 million domestically sourced pigs were slaughtered, 163,800 head, or 0.8%, more than a year earlier.
As a result, domestically sourced pigs accounted for 98.4% of total pig slaughter.
At the same time, the number of imported pigs slaughtered in Germany fell sharply by 14% to 349,200 head.
Pork Accounts for Nearly Two-Thirds of Meat Production
Pork production reached 2.2 million tonnes in the first half of 2026, exceeding the previous year’s figure by 10,300 tonnes.
Pork traditionally remains the leading type of meat in Germany’s production structure. In January–June, it accounted for 63.7% of total meat output.
Poultry meat ranked second with a share of 22.3%, followed by beef at 13.7%. Sheep, goat and horse meat together accounted for only around 0.3%.
Thus, despite a slight decline in Germany’s overall meat production, the pig sector recorded moderate growth in the first half of 2026, both in the number of animals slaughtered and in total pork output.
PigUA.info, based on materials from 3tres3.com