EU pig slaughter set to rise in 2026 on strong 2025 returns

EU pig slaughter is forecast to increase by 0.36% in 2026 to 230.5 million head, according to a USDA Foreign Agricultural Service livestock report on the European Union. The rise follows good farmer revenues in 2025, when swine producers maximised use of the sow herd and piglet supply, taking advantage of relatively low feed prices and high carcass prices.

The 2025 EU swine balance was updated after Eurostat reported significantly higher ending inventories than anticipated, balanced by a higher piglet crop. The EU swine sector started 2026 with a higher beginning sow stock, with the most significant absolute increases in Spain, Denmark, Germany, Poland, Hungary, and Romania. Based on the expanded breeding herd, the EU is forecast to produce more piglets than last year, despite the detection of African swine fever in Spain.

The larger supply lifted official slaughter by 1.442% in the first half of the year. Carcass and piglet prices had already been declining in the last quarter of 2025 due to pork oversupply and Chinese tariffs on Spanish, Dutch, and German pork, but prices plummeted after ASF was detected in Spain. Farmers are anticipated to have limited their uptake of new piglets in response, which is forecast to level off slaughter for the remainder of the year. Swine inventories are estimated to shrink to 129.8 million head.