According to preliminary data from the German Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), total meat production declined by 14,700 tonnes year on year in January–June 2026.
During the first half of the year, commercial slaughterhouses across the country processed 24 million pigs, cattle, sheep, goats and horses, as well as 343.2 million poultry — chickens, turkeys and ducks.
Pig Slaughter Rises to 22.2 Million Head
The pig sector recorded modest but steady growth.
In the first half of 2026, 22.2 million pigs were slaughtered in Germany, 107,000 head, or 0.5%, more than in the same period of 2025.
The vast majority were pigs of German origin. A total of 21.9 million domestically sourced pigs were slaughtered, an increase of 163,800 head, or 0.8%, year on year.
Domestically sourced animals accounted for 98.4% of total pig slaughter.
At the same time, the number of slaughtered pigs of foreign origin fell by 14% to 349,200 head.
Pork Remains the Leading Type of Meat
Pork production totalled 2.2 million tonnes in the first half of the year.
This was 10,300 tonnes, or 0.5%, more than in January–June 2025.
Pork has remained the dominant type of meat in Germany’s production structure for many years. In the first half of 2026, it accounted for 63.7% of all commercial meat production.
Poultry meat ranked second with a share of 22.3%, followed by beef at 13.7%.
Sheep, goat and horse meat together accounted for only around 0.3% of total production.
Thus, despite a slight decline in Germany’s overall meat production, the pig sector recorded moderate growth in the first half of 2026, both in the number of animals slaughtered and in total pork output.
PigUA.info, based on materials from 3tres3.com