According to data from RVO and analysis by DCA Market Intelligence, approximately 3.73 million pigs were slaughtered in the first 14 weeks of the year — a 7.4% decrease (around 300,000 animals) compared to the same period in 2025.
The main driver behind the decline is the continued reduction of the national pig herd. In 2025, for the first time in 45 years, the number of pigs fell below 10 million head. Since 2022, the herd has declined by 17% amid the implementation of government environmental buyout schemes, increasing pressure on the sector.
In previous years, processors partly offset the shortage of supply by handling animals originally intended for export, particularly to Germany. However, this mechanism has now been largely exhausted: while about 930,000 pigs were exported for slaughter in the first quarter of 2016, only around 100,000 were exported in 2026.
As a result, the sector is facing significant underutilisation of capacity. With a total processing capacity of about 300,000 pigs per week, actual throughput during peak periods reached only around 270,000 head. This figure is expected to decline further during the summer due to seasonal tightening of supply.
Despite the drop in slaughter numbers, the overall decline in pork production is somewhat less pronounced thanks to an increase in average animal weights.
Experts note that the industry is entering a phase of chronic underutilisation, which may call into question the long-term economic viability of part of the existing processing infrastructure.
PigUA.info, based on euromeatnews.com