In Denmark, the number of pigs and pig farms has decreased

The reason for this decline is the tough economy for pig producers. While hog prices rose 9% in 2022 compared to 2021, feed prices rose much more, at 32%. The increase in feed prices again reflects the increase in grain prices that followed the Ukrainian crisis in 2022.

Danish pig farms have grown over the years. The average pig farm had 2,900 pigs in 2012 versus 5,200 in 2022. At the same time, there are several very large pig farms. In 2012, 4% of holdings kept at least 10,000 pigs and accounted for 20% of the total pig population. By 2022, the share of these very large farms has grown to 15% and their share of the herd has grown to 47%.

Average size of pig farms in Denmark. Source: Statistics Denmark.

Along with the development of large pig farms, farms have also become more specialized. Now it's strange that a Danish farm has both pigs and cattle. In 2022, there were only 400 such farms, representing 2.6% of all farms with livestock. Going back 20 years to 2002, farms containing both pigs and cattle accounted for 11.3% of the entire livestock sector.