According to preliminary data from the livestock survey of the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), there were 15,600 pig farms in Germany as of November 3, 2024, which represents a decrease of 1% (-200 farms) compared to May 3, 2024, and a decrease of 3.4% compared to November 3, 2023 (-600 farms). The downward trend in the number of pig farms becomes even more evident with a ten-year comparison: since 2014, the number of farms has fallen by 41.7% (-11,200 farms).
The number of pigs raised in Germany as of November 3, 2024 was 21.2 million head. This means that the pig herd remained virtually unchanged compared to the reference date of May 3, 2024 (+10,100 animals) and compared to the same period last year (-0.2% or -39,400 head). However, compared to 2014, the herd decreased by 25.2% or 7.2 million head. Furthermore, the trend towards larger farms continues: while in 2014 a farm had an average of 1,100 pigs, ten years later this figure has increased to 1,400 head per farm.
By category, there were 9.7 million finishing pigs in Germany as of November 3, 2024, up 3% or 282,900 head from six months earlier. The number of piglets and young pigs, however, decreased by 2.5% or 254,700 head to 10 million. The number of breeding sows, at 1.4 million head, decreased by 1.3% (-18,100 head) compared to May 2024.
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