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Portugal: Significant increase in imports of live pigs

The import of pigs for slaughter increased by 18.5% in the first half of 2023 compared to the same period in 2022.

Imports of pigs for slaughter increased by 18.5% in the first half of 2023 compared to the same period in 2022, from 391,093 head last year to 463,438 head this year. As for total weight, it also increased by 18.5 tons, from 40,337 tons (average weight 103.1 kg) in 2022 to 48,362 tons (average weight 104.4 kg) this year. Therefore, many more pigs and much heavier pigs were imported this year compared to last year.

In contrast, imports of pork and pork products fell by 9.5%, from 50,098 tons in 2022 to 49,372 tons in 2023. Pork imports can be broken down as follows. Frozen pork was down 11.9% from 14,158 t in 2022 to 12,467 t in 2023. Fresh/chilled pork was down 8.7%, from 35,214 t in 2022 to 32,139 t in 2023. Offal volumes stabilized, which were 726 tons in 2023 and 725 tons in 2022.