The ISN survey was conducted in September 2026 among 467 piglet and finishing pig producers. Participants included 414 finishing farms representing around 985,000 pig places, or 7.2% of Germany’s total, as well as 245 farms with approximately 105,000 sows, equivalent to 7.6% of the country’s sow herd.
Producer sentiment remains pessimistic: almost half of respondents rate market prospects for the next six months as poor, while another 12.9% describe them as very poor. Only around 5% expect positive developments.
Against the backdrop of high production costs and low piglet and pig prices, liquidity is becoming increasingly important. Producers are placing greater emphasis on guaranteed sales and predictable cash flow rather than the opportunity to achieve peak prices on the spot market.
Around 68% of surveyed finishing pig producers are prepared to enter into contracts if these provide guaranteed product acceptance and an effective mechanism for protection against price risks. Only 13.6% oppose such an approach.
At the same time, 58.5% of producers consider it important to retain independent weekly setting of the base price, allowing market developments to be reflected promptly. Only 18.2% do not support this model.
Currently, 95.5% of the surveyed finishing farms calculate pig prices based on the VEZG quotation, with the relevant premiums and deductions. Alternative approaches remain limited.
More than half of respondents view farm-specific individual contracts positively, while around 43% support a price corridor model.
The survey also highlights continuing structural change in the sector: only 55% of sow farmers expect to remain in this business in the long term, while more than 22% plan to leave the sector within the next ten years.
PigUA.info, based on materials from ISN