Slaughter pig numbers in the Netherlands were down 7.4% year on year in the first quarter of 2026, as the impact of government buyout schemes takes its toll.
Analysis by DCA Market Intelligence, based on data from the Netherlands Enterprise Agency RVO, shows 3,733,125 pigs were slaughtered up to and including week 14. This was around 300,000 fewer animals than in the same period last year and the lowest number since 2009.
The decline has been partly driven by the €1.8 billion Dutch livestock farm termination scheme, under which participating farms were required to cease operations by the end of 2025, which was implemented, particularly near environmentally sensitive Natura 2000 areas, to reduce nitrogen emissions.
Although the largest effects of these schemes now appear to have passed, their impact remains visible in slaughter figures this year, the report stated.
DCA added that the decrease is also part of a broader downward trend since 2022. Pig numbers in the Netherlands fell below 10 million in 2025, the lowest level in approximately 45 years.
In the first quarter of peak year 2021, more than 4.5 million pigs were slaughtered, meaning current levels have declined by 780,000 animals, 17%, over the past five years. However, pigs have been slaughtered at higher average weights in recent years, meaning total pork production has fallen less sharply.
To offset declining domestic supply, Dutch slaughterhouses have in recent years diverted more pigs from exports, particularly animals that previously went to foreign slaughterhouses, such as in Germany. However, this buffer has now largely disappeared, according to DCA.
Whereas around 930,000 slaughter pigs were exported in the first quarter of 2016, numbers dropped to approximately 100,000 animals in 2026.
Processing capacity
Dutch processing capacity exceeds 300,000 pigs per week. In the tightest weeks of the first quarter, available supplly, including redirected export flow, amounted to around 270,000 animals.
“With seasonally lower supply expected during the summer months, capacity utilisation is likely to remain below full levels in the coming period,” the DCA report added.
“Whether tighter supply will lead to higher pig prices remains uncertain. Dutch slaughterhouses operate in a highly export-oriented market and depend on sales within Europe, where pork availability is currently ample. This is partly due to higher pig numbers in countries such as Spain, Germany and Denmark.”
According to Wageningen University & Research, Dutch self-sufficiency in pork supply chain remains at around 300%. “This creates a tension in the market: slaughterhouses need sufficient supply to utilise capacity, but remain cautious about raising purchase prices due to limited value realisation in export markets,” the report added.