Pig census in Denmark: as of July 1, 2013
The pig population in Denmark peaked in 2007 at 13.7 million pigs. This level has not been reached again to date.
The most recent livestock census on July 1, 2013 showed a total population of 12.25 million pigs, which is still below the average figures of previous years.
Although the current pig census as at July 1, 2013 showed an almost unchanged average number of pigs compared to the same time in 2012, there was a slight increase compared to the April 2013 census.
The sow population remains largely unchanged. An increase in the number of gilts is offset by the decline in the number of other sows.
The number of slaughter pigs from 50 kg live weight upwards fell by 4.5% compared to the previous year. The increase compared to the April census is moderate at +2.1 %. There was a slight decline in the number of animals under 50 kg live weight for slaughter.
According to the provisional slaughter figures up to and including June 2013, it looks as though there will be no increase on the previous year's figure of 19.4 million slaughterings per year. The peak of pig slaughterings was 22.6 million head in 2004. Since then, production has fallen significantly due to the loss of slaughter capacity and live exports to Germany.
Denmark's slaughter industry is increasingly losing market share due to the lack of raw materials. A reduction in slaughtering and processing capacity is already on the cards.
