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The Netherlands exported 2,410,684 piglets in the first half of 2026, 20.9% fewer than in the same period of 2025, when 3,047,090 animals were sent. This is the lowest it has been in the last 10 years and confirms the downward trend the Dutch pork sector has seen in recent years, after peaking in 2018 at 3,630,258 head.
Spain, despite the decrease, is the main destination for the second year in a row
Spain remains the primary destination for Dutch piglets, a position it first assumed in 2025 after overtaking Germany. In the first half of the year, 1,057,586 piglets were imported from the Netherlands, a 30.2% decrease compared to the 1,514,183 imported during the same period last year. Germany, in second place, imported 1,039,074 piglets (-11% compared to 2015).
Between them, these two countries account for 87% of all Dutch piglet exports, a percentage that was very different a decade ago: in the first half of 2016, Germany practically dominated the market with 2,279,677 head (68% of the total), while Spain imported just 114,111 piglets.
Belgium (183,702 piglets) remains the third largest destination, with a 10% decrease compared to 2025. It is followed by Italy, which saw a sharp increase to 40,011 head (+139% year-on-year) after several years of decline, and Austria, which remains stable at around 29,000 head.
Romania had the most striking decrease among traditional destinations, dropping from 62,226 piglets in the first half of 2025 to just 11,036 in 2026, an 82% decrease. Slovenia (-26%) and Luxembourg (-5%) also saw decreases, while Croatia (9,455, +27%), France (5,305, +104%), and Poland (2,396, +20%) are among the few markets showing growth.
Dutch piglet exports during the first half of the year (2016-2026). Source: 333 based on RVO data.
An increasingly concentrated market
The data confirms a fundamental trend: the Dutch piglet market, which in 2016 was divided among more than a dozen significant destinations, has gradually concentrated in two buyers—Spain and Germany—which now account for almost nine out of every ten piglets exported. The remaining countries, with the notable exceptions of Italy and Belgium, now play a negligible role in the Netherlands' piglet export balance.
July 1, 2026/ 333 Staff with data from RVO.
