According to preliminary data from Portugal’s National Statistics Institute (INE), published by GPP, the country imported 385,088 pigs for slaughter in January–June 2026. This was 10.1% fewer than in the same period of 2025, when 428,580 head were imported.
The total live weight of imported animals declined by 8.2%, from 46,549 tonnes to 42,745 tonnes.
At the same time, the average weight of an imported pig increased from 108.4 kg in 2025 to 111 kg in 2026. Thus, fewer pigs entered Portugal, but they were heavier. This trend towards higher average weights of imported animals has been observed for the past four to five years.
Piglet Imports Rise by 24%
A different trend was recorded in the segment of piglets weighing less than 50 kg live weight.
In the first half of 2026, Portugal imported 55,584 piglets, compared with 44,837 head a year earlier. This represents an increase of 10,747 head, or 24%.
At the same time, the average live weight per piglet declined by around 550 g, from 10.85 kg to 10.3 kg.
Pork Purchases Increase by Nearly 8%
Imports of pork and pork products increased by 7.8% in the first half of the year, from 50,243 tonnes to 54,165 tonnes.
The strongest growth was recorded in fresh and chilled pork. Imports rose by 10.5%, from 38,253 tonnes to 42,251 tonnes.
Frozen pork imports, by contrast, declined slightly by 0.6%, to 11,914 tonnes from 11,990 tonnes a year earlier.
Offal imports increased particularly sharply, rising by 50% from 791 tonnes to 1,186 tonnes.
Despite the increase in pork import volumes, their value declined. In the first half of 2026, imports were worth €240.5 million, 13.1% less than the €276.9 million recorded in the same period of 2025.
PigUA.info, based on materials from 3tres3.com