Switzerland’s pig sector, which has been facing overproduction for several years, is proposing a voluntary reduction in the number of sows. The initiative was put forward by the industry organisation Suisseporc, with support from the meat association Proviande.
Despite a decline in the national pig herd to 1.28 million head by the end of 2024 (–3.6% year-on-year), the market remains oversupplied. According to industry estimates, 47,000–48,000 pigs are sent for slaughter each week, while domestic demand is only around 44,000. This is partly due to pork imports, which reached 160,000 tons last year.
In response, Suisseporc has proposed a mechanism for the voluntary surrender of sow places with financial compensation. The indicative payment is around €2,200 per removed place. Thus, a farm that reduces, for example, 50 sows could receive more than €200,000 in compensation.
The programme is expected to be financed through a dedicated fund, supported by a levy on each kilogram of slaughter weight. It is estimated that this could generate more than €3.5 million annually and allow for the reduction of up to 1,500 sows. However, the levy rate has already been partially adjusted — it was temporarily reduced at the beginning of May due to seasonal demand growth.
Participation conditions include strict requirements: farmers must commit in writing not to keep sows in the vacated facilities for 25 years and not to build new production facilities for at least 10 years.
The aim of the initiative is to stabilise the market and support prices. However, not all producers support the proposed model. In particular, regional associations point to insufficiently developed control mechanisms and are calling for further refinement of the plan.
Overall, the Swiss pig sector is seeking to balance market stability with producers’ interests, but the final decision on implementing the programme is still under discussion.
PigUA.info, based on materials from pigprogress.net