According to data from the Dutch Enterprise Agency (RVO), the Netherlands exported 2.41 million piglets between January and June 2026, a 20.9% decrease compared with the same period in 2025, when 3.05 million piglets were shipped abroad.
This is the lowest first-half export volume recorded in the past decade and further confirms the downward trend observed since the record high of 3.63 million piglets exported during the first half of 2018.
Spain remained the largest importer of Dutch piglets for the second consecutive year. During the first six months of 2026, Spain imported 1.06 million piglets, down 30.2% from the same period last year.
Germany ranked second, importing 1.04 million piglets, an 11% decline year-on-year.
Together, Spain and Germany accounted for 87% of all Dutch piglet exports. A decade ago, however, the market looked very different: in the first half of 2016, Germany imported 2.28 million piglets, representing 68% of total Dutch exports, while Spain imported only 114,000 piglets.
Belgium remained the third-largest export destination with 183,700 piglets, although imports declined by 10% compared with 2025.
Meanwhile, Italy recorded the strongest growth among the main destinations, with imports increasing by 139% to 40,000 piglets after several years of decline. Exports to Austria remained stable at around 29,000 piglets.
The sharpest decline among traditional markets was recorded in Romania, where imports fell from 62,200 to 11,000 piglets, representing an 82% decrease.
Modest growth was observed in Croatia (+27%), France (+104%), and Poland (+20%), although these markets continue to account for only a small share of total exports.
Analysts note that over the past decade the Dutch piglet export market has become significantly more concentrated. While exports in 2016 were distributed across more than a dozen major destinations, today almost nine out of every ten exported Dutch piglets are shipped to Spain and Germany.
Source: PigUA.info, based on Pig333.com