Pig slaughtering in the EU increased in 2025
Spain further consolidated its leading position, while slaughter figures in Germany remained almost stable. Despite this renewed increase, EU production remains below the levels of previous years.
Between January and November 2025, pig slaughtering in the European Union increased compared to the previous year. According to preliminary figures from Eurostat, a total of approximately 207.7 million pigs were slaughtered, representing a 2.0% increase compared to the same period last year. The volume of carcasses produced rose by 3.1% to approximately 19.95 million tons due to higher carcass weights.
Spain remains the leading EU country in pig slaughter with 51.6 million animals, increasing its slaughter figures by 4.3%. Germany follows in second place with 41.2 million pigs, where slaughter figures remained almost at the previous year's level (+0.2%). Poland recorded an increase of 3.7% to 18.9 million pigs. France, on the other hand, reported a slight decrease of 0.1% to 20.1 million animals. Countries such as Denmark (+1.7%), Portugal (+3.4%), and Hungary (+3.3%) also increased their pig slaughter figures. Italy (-0.7%) and Belgium (-0.6%), however, experienced slight declines.
The increase in pork production was more pronounced, rising by 3.1%. This was primarily due to the higher average slaughter weights of the animals. This marks the second consecutive year of increased pork production in the EU compared to the previous year. Despite this growth, production levels remain below those of previous years.
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