In the first 43 weeks of 2026, the Netherlands exported almost 15 percent fewer piglets than in the same period of the previous year. Deliveries to Spain saw a particularly sharp drop.
According to data from the Dutch Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland (RVO), 4.091 million piglets were exported in 2026 up to the 43rd calendar week. This was 14.8 percent less than in the corresponding weeks of 2025, when exports amounted to 4.802 million.
Spanish exports were particularly weak in the first half of the year.
Exports to Spain saw a particularly sharp decline, falling by 21.7 percent compared to the same period last year to approximately 1.80 million piglets. The slump in the Spanish market was concentrated primarily in the first half of the year. By the third quarter of 2026, exports to Spain had returned to levels closer to the previous year. Spain had been the most important foreign market for Dutch piglets for the past two years.
Deliveries to Germany – the second most important market with around 1.76 million animals – decreased more moderately by 6.1 percent. Spain and Germany were thus by far the most important customer countries: together they accounted for around 87 percent of Dutch piglet exports.
The main reason for the overall decline in exports is considered to be the Dutch government’s purchasing programs, which are reducing piglet production in the country. This lower production is also reflected in the number of pigs slaughtered in the Netherlands: in the first half of the year, the number fell by 5.6 percent to 6.8 million animals.
A major reason for the sharp decline in deliveries to Spain is the ASF outbreaks in Spain since the end of November 2025. Since then, significantly fewer Dutch piglets have been exported to Spain.
