At the EU level, there were 134 million pigs in November/December 2022, 5% less than in 2021. More than half of the decline in EU herds is due to the situation in Germany, the second largest producer in the EU, and Denmark, the fourth largest EU producer, which lost 10% (2.4 million head) and 12% of their herds (1.6 million head), respectively
Specifically, the reduction in Germany was equal to 33% of the total EU reduction, while the reduction in Denmark was equal to 22% of the total EU reduction. Bulgaria and Malta (both -26%) recorded the largest relative declines.
The declines were part of a general trend. All EU member states with more than three million pigs reported decreases. There were also two exceptions: Italy (+330 thousand units, +4% compared to 2021) and Sweden (+50 thousand units, +3%).
Over the past decade, livestock numbers have declined for all species. The goat population experienced the steepest decline during this period (-9 index points in 2022 compared to 2012). Until 2020, the pig population was an exception to this trend. But since then, notable declines have been reported over the past two years.