China increased pork production by 7% in the third quarter of the year.

China's government said pork production in the third quarter of the year rose 7% compared with the same period in 2024 .

According to official information, this was made possible by local pig farmers who accelerated the fattening of their pigs as a measure to combat overpopulation of the national pig herd.

China's National Bureau of Statistics reported that pork production from June to September reached 13.458 billion tons. Pan Chenjun, an analyst at Rabobank Hong Kong, noted that this is due to government efforts to stabilize the domestic industry.

Continuous efforts to develop pig farming in China

In the first nine months of the year, pig slaughter totaled 529.92 million heads, which is 1.8% higher than the 2024 figure, leading to a decrease in the price of pork, which amounted to $1.57 per kilogram.

All of this was the result of a decline in demand from the population, which forced the authorities to organize herds of cows, among other measures to address the problem of excess capacity in the sector.

Pan added: “The breeding sow population is expected to decline gradually over the remaining months of this year, while a more significant reduction in the total pig population is likely to become apparent […] around mid-2026.”

Overcrowding in China's swine herd has led to economic losses for pig farmers and meat companies, as well as oversupply and historically low meat prices —factors that have destabilized the world's largest pork industry.