The continuous decline in livestock numbers in the Netherlands continues unabated. Preliminary data from the latest agricultural census show a decrease of over half a million pigs compared to the previous year. The main drivers of this structural decline are primarily government purchase programs.
The pig population in the Netherlands continued to decline this year. According to the preliminary results from the Dutch Central Statistical Office’s (CBS) agricultural census, the total pig population in May 2026 was approximately 9,250,000. This represents a decrease of around 520,000 animals, or 5.3%, compared to the previous year. This ongoing decline is similar to the decrease of 5.9% recorded in 2025.
The number of sows fell by 3.0% to approximately 820,000 animals. The number of piglets declined by 5.4% to around 4,250,000, while the number of fattening pigs shrank by 6.0% to approximately 4,180,000. The main reason for the sharp decline in recent years is the government buyback programs (LBV and LBV+), through which numerous pig farmers have permanently closed their operations in exchange for compensation.
The preliminary structural data from the May census in the Netherlands presented here are based on a broader definition of sow herds on breeding farms. The scientifically revised and more narrowly defined data from Statistics Netherlands, which form the basis for official Eurostat comparisons and consider only productive sows weighing 50 kg or more, will be published later this year.
Due to this broader definition (which also includes lighter gilts or breeding animals not yet bred), the sow population in this report is systematically reported slightly higher at around 820,000 animals than in the final tables of the Statistics Netherlands and Eurostat.
