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How did Dutch piglet exports evolve in 2025?
Dutch piglet exports declined by 4.6% in 2025, although with a relevant change in the structure of destinations: Spain became the main market, surpassing Germany for the first time in the recent series. According to data published by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), shipments to Spain reached 2.67 million head, 13.2% more than in 2024, While Germany declined by 16.9% falling from 2.67 to 2.22 million head.
Overall, the market showed an adjustment, with declines in most relevant destinations. Belgium-Luxembourg reduced its imports by 6.4% Romania by 35.3%, and Austria by 14.6%. In contrast, Poland, after two years of sharp declines in its imports of Dutch piglets, showed a recovery in 2025, although still at reduced levels compared to previous years.
Evolution of Dutch piglets exports over the last decade
Beyond annual performance, the evolution of Dutch piglets exports between 2016 and 2025 shows a structural change in the European swine industry. Germany, traditionally the leading importer of Dutch piglets, has reduced its volumes by more than 50% since its peak in 2017, when it imported 4.6 million Dutch piglets, in line with the restructuring of its sector.
In contrast, Spain has experiences sustained growth, multiplying its imports thirteenfold over the last ten years, increasing from just over 190,000 piglets in 2016 to 2.67 million in 2025, driven by its competitiveness and the expansion of its finishing and slaughter capacity.
The Belgium-Luxembourg remains the third structural destination, although at a considerable distance from the main markets, and with a clearly downward trend over the last decade, reducing its volumes by nearly half from the peaks recorded around 2018.
Graph 1. Evolution of Dutch piglets exports to their main destinations for the period 2015-2026. Move the cursor over the chart to explore the data. Source: Pig333 based on RVO data.
April 17, 2026/ Editorial team of 333 based on RVO data.
