Fewer pigs are kept in Germany than they have been since reunification. The number of companies has fallen by almost eleven percent within a year. Keeping has often become uneconomical.
The number of pigs kept in Germany has fallen to a new low. According to figures from the Federal Statistical Office, 20.7 million pigs were kept at the beginning of May. That was a decrease of 7.3 percent or 1.62 million animals in one year. Compared to May 2021, the population decreased by 16.1 percent or 3.99 million animals.
According to the statisticians, fewer pigs have never been kept in Germany since German unification. In 1990 there were still 30.8 million animals.
More and more companies are giving up
The number of pig farms also continued to decrease. As of the reporting date, there were 15,900 businesses, 10.8 percent fewer than a year earlier. Compared to 2021, there is a decrease of about one fifth. In a ten-year comparison, the number of companies fell by more than 43 percent.
With pork prices falling and costs rising, more and more farmers are abandoning pig farming. The consumption of pork has been falling for years, and high requirements and cost increases make keeping it uneconomical.
Dairy cow husbandry also declining
The number of cattle, on the other hand, remained almost constant at 10.9 million animals. The proportion of dairy cows continued to decrease. The number of dairy cows was 3.8 million animals. That was 3.7 percent less than a year ago and 36.2 percent less than ten years ago.