Compared to 2024, the total pig population decreased by 5.1%. The number of pig farms also saw a significant drop—by 1 April 2025, around 1,900 pig farms remained in operation, which is 7.1% fewer than the previous year. The sharpest declines were observed among small farms (fewer than 500 pigs), down by 10.9%, and medium-sized farms with 2,000–5,000 pigs, down by 10.4%.
Currently, 94% of all pigs in the country are raised on specialized livestock farms. The rest are kept on mixed farms that combine crop and livestock production or house multiple species.
The Dutch pig farming sector has been undergoing deep structural changes over the past decade. Since 2015, the number of pig farms has nearly halved (by 45.9%), and the number of small farms (up to 500 pigs) has dropped by two-thirds. Meanwhile, the number of large farms (with more than 5,000 pigs) has remained relatively stable. As a result, the average herd size has significantly increased—reaching 5,000 pigs per farm in 2025, which is nearly 50% higher than ten years ago.
The main driver of this decline is government policy aimed at encouraging farmers to exit the sector. Notably, the Subsidy Scheme for the Remediation of Pig Farms (SRV) and other national buy-out programmes have contributed to the reduction in the number of pig farms and, consequently, the total pig population in the Netherlands.
PigUA.info based on materials from pig333.com