US pig population as of December 1st, 2021: - 4% compared to the previous year On the occasion of the quarterly survey of the population on December 1st, 2021, 74.2 million pigs were counted in the USA. Compared to the previous year there was a decrease of -4 % . The increase in the US pig population, which has lasted for 10 years, has thus clearly broken off. The main causes are the Covid-related restrictions at all levels of production through to marketing. In addition, there are feed and energy costs , which have risen by around 50%. While in the 1st half of 2021 profits were still achieved at pig prices of around 1.90 € / kg, losses occurred in the course of the rapidly falling prices in the 2nd half of the year. The number of pigs intended for the market fell disproportionately by -4.4%. In contrast, the number of sows has decreased at 6.2 million . Breeding animals kept unchanged from the previous year. Current US pig prices in Dec.In 2021, the equivalent of less than 1.20 € / kg . Rising numbers of slaughters combined with declining domestic and international demand put the market under pressure. For the first half of 2022 , however, the Chicago stock exchange is already trading at prices above € 1.50 / kg . This expresses the expectation that the fallen pig population will tend to be too scarce for demand.
