Structural change in Germany’s pig sector continues: as of 3 May 2026, around 14,550 pig farms remained in the country, 4.6% fewer than a year earlier. At the same time, the total pig population changed very little, indicating further concentration of production in larger farms.

Denmark continues to implement its national plan to eradicate porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS). Lolland, one of the country’s important agricultural regions, has officially become completely free of PRRS. As a result, there are no longer any PRRS-positive pig herds in the municipalities of Møn, Lolland and Falster.

As of 3 September 2026, Brazil is no longer authorised to export a number of animals and animal products intended for human consumption to the European Union. The reason is that the country was not included in the updated list of third countries that have demonstrated compliance with EU requirements concerning the use of certain antimicrobial medicinal products. The restrictions affect, among other products, beef, poultry meat, eggs, honey and casings.

The global pork market is gradually moving away from a model in which China was the main driver of trade. According to Rabobank, declining Chinese imports are intensifying competition among major exporters, while Mexico and Southeast Asian countries, including the Philippines and Vietnam, are emerging as new growth markets.

As of 1 June 2026, Austria’s pig population stood at 2.47 million head, 0.7% lower than a year earlier. The sharpest decline was recorded in breeding pigs, down 2.8%. At the same time, the sector is facing significant economic pressure: according to producer estimates, losses may currently reach €20 per pig sold.

Danish Crown plans to significantly increase the volume of Danish pork processed by its Polish subsidiary Sokołów. In the near term, raw materials equivalent to around 500,000 pigs per year will be sent to Poland, with plans to double this volume in the longer term.

In January–June 2026, Spain produced 2.76 million tonnes of pork in carcase weight, 3.2% more than in the same period last year. The number of pigs slaughtered increased at a slightly slower rate, by 2.1%, indicating an increase in average carcase weight.

Rabobank expects U.S. hog slaughter to gradually recover after declining during the summer, but to remain below 2025 levels throughout the second half of 2026. With fewer market-ready hogs available, producers are increasing slaughter weights to help partially maintain pork production volumes.

In January–June 2026, Germany produced 2.2 million tonnes of pork, 0.5%, or 10,300 tonnes, more than in the same period last year. At the same time, the country’s total meat production declined by 0.4% to just under 3.4 million tonnes.

A possible outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) is under investigation in the Indian state of Gujarat following the deaths of nearly 200 pigs. If laboratory testing confirms ASF, it would be the first recorded occurrence of the disease in this western state. Meanwhile, new outbreaks have already been confirmed in Kerala and Nagaland.

The number of confirmed African swine fever (ASF) cases in wild boar in Finland has risen to 36. The first 35 cases were concentrated in the municipality of Virolahti near the Russian border, but in late August an infected carcass was detected for the first time around 40 km further west, in Pyhtää. As a result, the authorities have significantly expanded the infected zone.

The European Union’s pig population stood at 131.5 million head at the end of 2025, 0.5% lower than a year earlier. At the same time, the breeding herd recorded a slight increase for the first time, while the number of piglets weighing under 20 kg reached its highest level in a decade. This may indicate a gradual stabilisation of pork supply in the EU after several years of decline.

As of 30 June 2026, the Philippines’ pig population stood at 8.93 million head, 1% lower than a year earlier. The majority of pigs continue to be kept on smallhold farms, which account for nearly 80% of the country’s total herd.

African swine fever continues to spread southward in Italy. In Tuscany, where the first infected wild boar were detected in 2024, the number of confirmed cases has already reached 829. Most infected animals have been recorded in the provinces of Lucca, Massa-Carrara and Pistoia.

The sharp escalation of the trade dispute between the United States and Canada in late August 2026 is creating risks for the two countries’ highly integrated pig sector. Particularly vulnerable is the flow of young pigs from Manitoba in Canada to Iowa in the United States: more than 3 million piglets cross the border each year, with around 2 million of them destined for the largest pork-producing state in the U.S.

In the first half of 2026, Germany’s commercial slaughterhouses produced just under 3.4 million tonnes of meat, 0.4% less than in the same period last year. At the same time, the pig sector showed the opposite trend: pork production increased by 0.5% to 2.2 million tonnes.

In mid-August 2026, Poland confirmed four new outbreaks of African swine fever (ASF) on pig farms. The total number of affected farms since the beginning of the year has risen to seven — more than doubling in recent days. At the same time, 2026 remains significantly less severe than previous years so far: Poland recorded 18 outbreaks in domestic pigs in 2025 and 44 in 2024.

In the first half of 2026, the United Kingdom produced 507,400 tonnes of pork, 5.1% more than in the same period last year. Higher slaughter numbers and heavier average carcase weights supported production, although weights declined noticeably in July amid hot weather and the normalisation of processing operations.