Slaughter of pigs and cattle falls in Germany

 In September, pig slaughter volumes in Germany fell again and are still below the level of the previous year. The balance of cattle is also negative.

In September, the number of slaughtered pigs in Germany fell even further behind the previous year. Preliminary figures from the Federal Statistical Office show that just under 4.31 million animals were slaughtered during the reporting month; this is about 260,000 heads or 5.7% less than in the same month last year. The total slaughter for the first three quarters of 2021 was 1.26 million heads, or 3.1 percent, less than in the same period last year, and amounted to 38.82 million pigs. Compared to the first nine months of 2019, the slaughter volume decreased by 2.27 million heads, or 5.5 percent. Pork production decreased by 2.5 percent to 3.73 million tons compared to the first three quarters of 2020.

Since the beginning of the year, the reduction in the supply of imported pigs has been the main reason for the decline in slaughter rates. In September, a new multi-year low was recorded when only 88,730 animals were delivered from other European Union countries. About 911,000 foreign pigs were slaughtered in Germany from January to September; this was just over half less than in the same period in 2020, and nearly two-thirds less than in 2019.

In the first half of the year, pig shipments were higher than the previous year due to the effects of the ASF outbreak, but this has changed since July. 

The slaughter of cattle in Germany is also declining. In the nine months of 2021, 2.38 million heads were sent for slaughter; this is 12,680 heads or 0.5 percent less than in the same period last year. Beef production decreased by 1.2% to 783,920 tons. This was mainly due to the low supply of bulls and calves for slaughter, which decreased by 2.6% to 893,340 heads. The slaughter of cows was at the level of the previous year and amounted to about 815,000 heads. On the other hand, slaughter of heifers increased by 2.2% to 423,920 heads, and calves - by 0.8% to 24,3880 heads.