LUXEMBOURG. After a decline in 2018, the number of pigs in Europe does not seem to have decreased further in 2019. However, the figures from the country with the largest herd are still missing.
More pigs were counted in Denmark, Ireland, Czech Republic, Greece, Croatia, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Finland, Sweden and Romania. Countries with a reduction in the number of pigs are Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, France, Cyprus, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Austria, Slovenia and Slovakia.
Data are not yet available from Spain, which had the largest herd within the EU in 2018 with 30.8 million pigs. In the 26 member states for which values are available, the number of pigs fell by 0.6 percent to 116.7 million animals. If Spain maintains the pace of the past few years in building up its herds, the EU 27 could end 2019 with stable figures. From 2017 to 2018, Spain increased the number of pigs by 2.8 percent to 30.80 million animals.
Denmark, after a long period of reducing its herd, increased by 0.7 percent to 17.73 million pigs. In percentage terms, the herds in Sweden (4.5) and Ireland (5.6) grew most strongly. Despite the problems caused by African swine fever, Poland managed to increase its herd by 1.7 percent to 11.22 million pigs.