The drop in exports and new animal welfare regulations are reducing Spanish pig production

In 2022, Spain remained the main producer and exporter of pork in the European Union (EU). However, sources in the sector foresee declines in the pig herd, the number of sows and pig production in Spain in 2023 and 2024, after reaching record levels in 2022, according to the latest USDA report on the evolution of the pig sector in Spain. . The reduction in sows and pig production in 2023 is partially offset by increased EU piglet imports, mainly from the Netherlands and Portugal, which may continue in 2024. These EU pig imports alleviated the reduction of national slaughter in 2022 to meet the demand of slaughterhouses. In 2022, lower pig production in Spain was also aggravated by several outbreaks of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) in Catalonia and Aragon, but was offset by significant intra-EU imports of pigs. The current PRRS situation is under control, according to Spanish sources. The record input prices experienced in 2022 in the pork sector translated ...