According to the Danish Statistics Bureau, as of April 1, the country had 11.45 million pigs on hand, an increase of 6.8% compared to the same period in 2023. At that time, Denmark's pig production capacity had reached its historical bottom, and then began to recover gradually. However, compared with the statistics on the inventory on January 1, 2024, it only increased by 0.7%, and because the slaughterhouses were closed during the Easter period at the end of March, many pigs to be slaughtered were stranded in fattening farms for too long, and the actual growth rate should be smaller. Therefore, it can be seen that the pace of recovery of Denmark's pig production capacity has slowed down since entering 2024.
According to this sampling survey, compared with April 2023, the number of pigs available for slaughter increased by 15.2% to 2.53 million; fattening pigs increased by 5.7% to 5.37 million; and piglets under 20 kg increased by 3.0% to 2.4 million. The number of sows increased by 32,000, or 2.9%, to nearly 1.14 million in one year, while the number of gilts increased by 17,000, or 4.6%, to 387,000.
Although the Danish sow population increased by only 0.2% compared to the January statistics, it had been declining for many years before that. According to the Danish Agricultural and Food Industry Organization, the modest expansion of the sow population is due to high pig prices and the improved economic efficiency of sow farming. This means that in 2024, Danish pig production will finally resume growth after three consecutive years of decline.