0
According to data published by GPP, provided by INE as preliminary data, first-quarter pig slaughter in Portugal showed a significant 39.1% year-on-year increase in the total number of pigs slaughtered (+46,080 heads), rising from 1,008,272 pigs slaughtered in the first quarter of 2025 to 1,402,744 heads in 2026.
The total slaughter weight increased by 40.5%, meaning that producers sent pigs with a higher average slaughter weight in 2026 than in 2025. The total carcass weight went from 89,596.3 tons in 2025 (88.9 kg average) to 125,908.0 tons this year (89.75 kg average). Important to note is that increasingly heavier pigs are being slaughtered in Portugal, and the average carcass weight is now almost 90 kg.
Regarding piglets, there was also an impressive 50% increase in slaughter, meaning that 111,728 more piglets were slaughtered in the first quarter of 2026 compared to the same period in 2025. In 2025, 223,438 piglets were slaughtered in the first quarter, and this year the number of piglets slaughtered was 335,166. The slaughter weight increased by 52%, rising from 1,574 tons in 2025 to 2,392 tons in 2026, with no significant change in the average weight, which increased by 250g to 7.15 kg carcass weight, which is the usual carcass weight for roasting piglets in Portugal.
Regarding cull breeding stock, 17,656 head were slaughtered in 2026 compared to 12,028 head in 2025 (+46.8%). The total weight increased by 37.3%, rising from 1,823.9 tons in 2025 (151.6 kg average carcass weight) to 2,505 tons in 2026 (141.9 kg average weight). Therefore, lighter cull breeding stock were slaughtered than in 2025.
In total, 1,755,566 pigs were slaughtered and approved for consumption in the first quarter of 2026, a 41.2% increase compared to 2025, when 1,243,738 pigs were slaughtered. The total slaughter weight was 130,804.3 tons, representing a 40.7% increase compared to 2025, when 92,994.0 tons were approved for consumption.
The substantial increase in the number of pigs and piglets slaughtered is likely due to the bad weather at the end of January, which forced producers to urgently slaughter pigs because of the damage to their farms.
May 25, 2026/ Swine Newsletter Week 20 - SIMA/ Portugal
http://www.gpp.pt
