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Although the December 2015 livestock survey announced a decline in the EU reproductive pig herd of 1.7%, total pigmeat production increased by 1% in the first quarter of 2016, according to "Short-term outlook for EU arable crops, dairy and meat markets".
In line with herd developments, Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, Austria, Hungary, Romania and Belgium recorded a decrease in production in the first quarter of 2016. Other Member States, like the UK, Spain, Portugal, France and Italy, were still increasing production in the first quarter of 2016 despite th e low pigmeat prices in 2015. Poland witnessed a very important reduction in the sow herd of almost 15% , but was still able to increase net production thanks to live imports of piglets and pigs. These diverging trends are the result of different strategies and economic behaviour between Member States. As changes in the reproductive herd affect production with delays of several months , EU pig production is expected to slow down further in the second half of the year. As a consequence, EU pig meat production i n 2016 is expected to stabilise at around 23.4 million tonnes, despite the positive feedback from export markets and a first glimpse of price recovery.
Friday July 8, 2016/ EC/ European Union.
http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture
