USDA says Spain overcome Germany in pig slaughter figures
USDA estimates that last year, Spain has surpassed Germany in terms of pig slaughter figures. The report mentioned that 4 major pork producers in Europe have decreased the number of pigs sent to abattoirs for various reasons. Low demand for pork in the domestic market, multiple COVID-19 outbreaks in the country's largest slaughterhouses led to a decrease of 1.91 million head of pigs slaughter in Germany. It was followed by Italy (917,000 head), Poland (471,000 head) and France (248,000 head). At the same time, countries such as Spain, Denmark and Belgium have increased their slaughter figures as follows: Spain (3.77 million head), Denmark (440,000 head), Belgium (431,000 head).
According to the USDA, Spain overcame COVID-19 disruptions and slaughterhouses worked at their normal capacity to meet domestic and export demand. This contributed to the continued growth of Spanish pig production. In addition, it greatly increased its exports to China and filled the gap left by German suppliers due to African Swine Fever (ASF). As a result, Spain surpassed Germany as the top EU Member State in terms of slaughter and almost became the EU's main supplier of pork to China. The increase in slaughter figures in Denmark, Belgium and, to a lesser extent, the Netherlands, was partly due to slaughter interruptions in Germany.
Thus, in global European terms, despite the COVID-19 crisis, EU pork production and exports broke records in 2020. In fact, the pig sector started the year with a herd of sows larger than the previous year, anticipating strong export demand, particularly from China. Excess slaughter capacity and proximity to plants helped overcome disruptions caused by the coronavirus and accelerated slaughter in the last quarter of the year. Productivity is projected to continue to rise and serve as the basis for a new pork production record in 2021, so companies will continue to work to diversify their export markets.
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