Portugal: Pig slaughter up slightly in the first half of 2024

There was a 2.3% increase in the total number of finishing pigs slaughtered (+42,848 head), from 1,868,343 pigs slaughtered in the first half of 2023 to 1,911,191 head slaughtered in 2024. The total slaughter weight increased by 4.9%. The total weight went from 158,723.6 tons in 2023 to 166,557.5 tons this year. There was a 6.1% drop in the slaughter of piglets for roasting, or 35,915 fewer head in the first half of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. The total slaughter weight fell by 5.6%, from 4,184.4 tons in 2023 to 3,950.7 tons in 2024. As for cull breeding stock, 15,893 were slaughtered in 2024 compared to 19,160 head in 2023 (-17.1%). The total weight fell by 15.5% from 2,797.1 tons in 2023 to 2,363.8 tons in 2024. In total, 2,483,999 head were slaughtered and approved for consumption in the first half of 2024, 0.15% more than in 2023, when 2,479,533 were ...