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The pig inventory in Flanders continues to decline according to the annual report by Animal Health Care Flanders (DGZ). The number of piglets in Flanders fell by around 33,000 to 1.77 million. In 2024, Flanders had 393,782 breeding pig places (down 19,090 from 2023), 87,503 weaned piglet places (-1,698), and 4,079,974 finishing pig places (-268,057). This decrease is in line with the decrease in the number of pig farms. In 2024, there were 4,944 pig herds, 259 fewer than the year before.
DGZ director Benedikt Sas points to the retirement scheme and farmers retiring as the cause of the decline. However, the reduced number of pig places does not automatically mean that the pig population is shrinking. “Due to the favourable market conditions, companies are making maximum use of their capacity. As a result, the number of slaughters rose slightly last year, despite the lower number of companies."
April 29, 2025/ Vilt/ Belgium.
https://vilt.be/nl
