Germany: Pig population in Lower Saxony has remained stable
Lower Saxony was the first German state to release results from the livestock census of November 3, 2025: According to preliminary figures from the Lower Saxony State Statistical Office, 7.14 million pigs were kept there on that date. This was approximately 95,000 pigs, or about 1.3%, more than in November 2024. This indicates a stabilization of the livestock numbers since 2023; previously, there had been some very significant declines.
However, the downward trend in the number of farms continues: On November 3, 2025, there were still 3,820 farms in Lower Saxony keeping at least 50 pigs. Compared to the previous year, this was 90 fewer, or a decrease of 2.3%. Over the past ten years, the total number of pig farms in Lower Saxony has decreased by 42.1%.
The figures developed very differently in the individual animal categories. The number of fattening pigs was down 0.8% to 4.87 million compared to the previous year. The number of piglets, at 1.89 million, was 6.7% higher than a year ago. The number of breeding sows increased by 6.1% to 380,700 animals.
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