Agricultural census figures show that France had 8,500 farms with more than 20 sows or 100 pigs in 2020, compared with 11,500 in 2010 and 16,800 in 2000 (a 50.6% decrease over twenty years). However, this reduction has been accompanied by an increase in farm size, so that over the same period, the decrease in pig numbers appears more limited (-19.0%, according to SSP data).
The years 2022 and 2023 confirmed this downturn, with the French industry losing 24,000 sows in 2022 (-2.5%) and a further 28,000 sows in 2023 (-3.2%), as the French breeding herd fell below 900,000 head.
March 2024/ Markets for dairy, meat, and poultry products. Bilan 2023/ France AgriMer/ France.
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