In 2022, less than 48 million pigs will be slaughtered in Germany, according to the German Agricultural Association Rankvolk. In 2021, 52 million pigs were slaughtered.

Pig farmers are struggling with rising feed, gas and energy costs. Rankvolk reports that higher wholesale prices will only partially compensate for these costs.

A surge in natural gas prices in the European market will hit sow farmers. Lankvolk estimates that production costs will increase by €8 to €10 per piglet this year. But German pig and poultry fatteners and laying chicken farms are also being hit by rising energy costs.

Rising feed prices are also putting pressure on farmers to buy feed instead of producing it, said Dr. Rankbork spokesman Albert Holtmann-Scholten. “Anyone who buys additional feed can feel how strained the economic situation is, even if the price of pork is as high as €2.05 per kilogram,” he said this year. Due to rising meat consumption and a decline in domestic meat consumption, German pork production is expected to decline by about 7%.

Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter & Facebook.