Pig World
  • News
      • Animal Health
      • Breeding
      • Business
      • Environment
      • EU
      • Food Safety
      • Housing
      • Marketing
      • NPA
      • National Pig Awards
      • New Products
      • Nutrition
      • People
      • Pig Fair
      • Politics
      • Training & Education
      • Welfare
  • Features
    • Animal Health
    • Breeding
    • Environment
    • Farm Visits
    • Herd Recording
    • Housing
    • Marketing
    • Nutrition
    • Products
    • Training
  • Comment
    • AHDB Pork
    • Chris Fogden
    • Dennis Bridgeford
    • Peter Crichton
    • Red Robin
    • Veterinary View
    • Zoe Davies, NPA
  • Numbers
  • Pig Prices
  • Magazines
    • July 2025
    • June 2025
    • 2025 Innovation supplement
    • May 2025
    • April 2025
    • March 2025
    • 2025 Buildings supplement
    • February 2025
    • 2025 Nutrition Supplement
    • January 2025
    • December 2024
    • November 2024
    • 2025 National Pig Awards supplement
    • October 2024
    • September 2024
    • August 2024
    • 2024 Pig Health supplement
    • July 2024
    • June 2024
    • 2024 Innovation supplement
    • 2024 Pig & Poultry Fair Guide
    • May 2024
    • April 2024
    • 2024 Buildings Supplement
    • March 2024
    • 2024 Pig Nutrition supplement
    • February 2024
    • January 2024
    • December 2023
    • November 2023
    • 2023 National Pig Awards supplement
    • October 2023
    • September 2023
    • Health Supplement
  • Suppliers
  • Jobs
    • Browse Jobs
    • Post a Job
    • Manage Jobs
  • Classified
  • Events
    • Pigs Tomorrow
    • National Pig Awards
Podcast
Pig WorldPig World
  • News
      • Animal Health
      • Breeding
      • Business
      • Environment
      • EU
      • Food Safety
      • Housing
      • Marketing
      • NPA
      • National Pig Awards
      • New Products
      • Nutrition
      • People
      • Pig Fair
      • Politics
      • Training & Education
      • Welfare
  • Features
    • Animal Health
    • Breeding
    • Environment
    • Farm Visits
    • Herd Recording
    • Housing
    • Marketing
    • Nutrition
    • Products
    • Training
  • Comment
    • AHDB Pork
    • Chris Fogden
    • Dennis Bridgeford
    • Peter Crichton
    • Red Robin
    • Veterinary View
    • Zoe Davies, NPA
  • Numbers
  • Pig Prices
  • Magazines
    1. July 2025
    2. June 2025
    3. 2025 Innovation supplement
    4. May 2025
    5. April 2025
    6. March 2025
    7. 2025 Buildings supplement
    8. February 2025
    9. 2025 Nutrition Supplement
    10. January 2025
    11. December 2024
    12. November 2024
    13. 2025 National Pig Awards supplement
    14. October 2024
    15. September 2024
    16. August 2024
    17. 2024 Pig Health supplement
    18. July 2024
    19. June 2024
    20. 2024 Innovation supplement
    21. 2024 Pig & Poultry Fair Guide
    22. May 2024
    23. April 2024
    24. 2024 Buildings Supplement
    25. March 2024
    26. 2024 Pig Nutrition supplement
    27. February 2024
    28. January 2024
    29. December 2023
    30. November 2023
    31. 2023 National Pig Awards supplement
    32. October 2023
    33. September 2023
    34. Health Supplement
    Featured

    July 2025 issue of Pig World now available

    July 6, 2025
    Recent

    July 2025 issue of Pig World now available

    July 6, 2025

    June 2025 issue of Pig World now available

    June 4, 2025

    2025 Innovation supplement now available

    June 4, 2025
  • Suppliers
  • Jobs
    • Browse Jobs
    • Post a Job
    • Manage Jobs
  • Classified
  • Events
    • Pigs Tomorrow
    • National Pig Awards
LinkedIn X (Twitter)
Pig World
Business

Big fall in EU pork production recorded, as pork prices also come down

Alistair DriverBy Alistair DriverOctober 17, 20234 Mins Read
LinkedIn Twitter Facebook Email

Pork production in the EU was 8% down, at 11.9Mt, over the first seven months of this year, the second successive year of significant decline. 

The production figure for January to July was also 10% down on the five-year average. The EU Commission’s latest forecast is for pig meat production in 2023 to end the year down 6.6%.

Production in all key producing countries has fallen year on year, with the largest declines in Germany of 236,000t (-9%), and Denmark down 202,000t (-21%). Volumes in Spain and the Netherlands were down between 143−144,000t from the same time last year, down 5% and 15% respectively.

These drops were driven by large reductions in slaughter levels. EU throughputs totalled 126.1m head in the year to July, with slaughter in key producing countries down similar percentages to production.

Prices

Lower supplies in the EU have led to significant growth in prices across the EU over the past few months over the spring and summer . However, prices have declined from these highs down to an average of 196.4p/kg for the 4 weeks ending October 1, as demand has eased. This is a fall of 5.8p from the previous four-week period, and down nearly 20p from highs seen towards the end of July, with weak demand at home and internationally seen as the main driver.

graph showing EU pork prices

France has seen the greatest decline from its peak, down by 27p/kg to end October 1 at 183.8p/kg. Weaker declines have been noted in Germany, Spain, the Netherlands and Poland, all down around 20−22p from the peak. Denmark has seen the smallest fall, down 14p but had consistently lower prices to begin with.

The EU reference price fell by a further 2p to 193.8p/kg during the week ended October 8. The gap between the EU and UK references has grown to beyond 25p and could grow wider yet, when the latest EU falls are taken into account.

Last week saw the the German pig price come down by a further 10 euro-cents to stand at €2.10/kg (just over £2/kg), with Belgium down by more than 10c, France by 7c and the Netherlands and Spain by 3-4c. The German sow price was down 11c.

Trade

EU imports of pork totalled 84,000 t in the year to July, a fall of 16,200t, 16%, from the same time last year. This is despite a fall in domestic production, which may have necessitated higher imports to meet demand. This indicates that overall demand for pork in the EU has fallen as consumers face cost of living crises. The European Commission forecasts per capita consumption to drop by 5% in 2023 to 30.4 kg.

Imports from the UK have fallen by over 22,000 t (-27%) to just under 60,000t, as lower UK production has reduced the amount of product available for export, coupled with prices sitting higher than the EU, reducing the competitiveness of product on the market.

graph showing Eu pig meat exports

However, the UK does remain the most important country for EU imports in terms of volume. As volumes from the UK have fallen, shipments from Switzerland and Chile have grown year-on-year to 11,300 t and 5,000 t respectively. This is growth of 4,500 t for Switzerland and 2,800 t from Chile. The European Commission predicts that pig meat imports may end the year down 20%.

EU export capacity has fallen, in line with reduced production. Current EU forecasts anticipate pigmeat exports to end the year will bw down 16%. Total exports for the year to July were 2.3 Mt, down by 18% from 2.8 Mt in 2022. The vast majority of the fall in exports came from Asian countries, with the Philippines down by 115,000t, China by 85,000t, South Korea by 58,000t and Japan by 49,000t, according to AHDB analyst Isabel Shohet.

Share. LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Email
Previous ArticleDefra figures show UK pork production down 10% year-on-year in September
Next Article Gene editing in pigs – making the case for a potentially revolutionary technology
Alistair Driver

Editor Pig World, group editor Agronomist and Arable Farmer and Farm Contractor. National Pig Association webmaster. Former political editor at Farmers Guardian. Occasional media pundit. Brought up on a Leicestershire farm. Works from a shed in his Oxfordshire garden.

Read Similar Stories

GB pig prices for week ending July 5, 2025 – SPP bounces back to reach year high

July 9, 2025

Nutrient Action Programme could destroy NI pig sector, UFU warns

July 9, 2025

Straw prices for the week ending July 13, 2025

July 9, 2025
Latest News

GB pig prices for week ending July 5, 2025 – SPP bounces back to reach year high

July 9, 2025

Nutrient Action Programme could destroy NI pig sector, UFU warns

July 9, 2025

Comment: British pork reimagined: Data-led marketing for a changing consumer

July 9, 2025
Sponsored Content

THE GATEKEEPER OF RESPIRATORY HEALTH – MYCOPLASMA HYOPNEUMONIAE (M.HYO)

April 30, 2024

Tackle the root cause of PWD with free diagnostic tests

March 1, 2024
Current Pig Industry jobs
  • Pig Stockperson – Ref 1759 North Yorkshire

    • North Yorkshire
    • Roadhogs Recruitment Ltd.
    • Full Time
  • Pig Stockperson – Ref 1758 Norfolk

    • Norfolk
    • Roadhogs Recruitment Ltd.
    • Full Time
  • Experienced Pig Stockperson – Ref 1757 South East England

    • South East England
    • Roadhogs Recruitment Ltd.
    • Full Time
GETTING IN TOUCH
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Meet The Editors
  • About Us
  • Email Newsletters
  • Subscribe
  • Reuse permissions
OUR SOCIAL CHANNELS
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
PARTNER EVENTS
RELATED SITES
  • Farmers Weekly
  • Agronomist & Arable Farmer
  • Farm Contractor
  • National Pig Awards
  • Pigs Tomorrow
  • Poultry News
  • Weekly Tribune
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
© 2024 MA Agriculture Ltd, a Mark Allen Group company

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.