Key figures for exports in 2023

Exports of Danish pig meat, bi-products, and live piglets in 2023 showed a general decline in volume and an increase in value over the period.

Pig production fell across the EU in 2023. In Denmark, the annual decline was 18.7% but despite this, a positive trend is reflected in the quarterly figures. Based on a relative improvement in production from Q2 to Q4 in 2023 (fig. 1) and a recently published forecast from Eurostat, the projection is for a slight decrease in the EU’s pig production of 1% in 2024 (source: Slight decrease in EU animal production expected in 2024 - Eurostat | The Pig Site).

If you dig down into how Danish pig meat, bi-products and piglet production is distributed in key markets, there is a decline in volume across several markets. However, Poland is an exception with a growth in exports from 2022 to 2023 of 2.3% due to an increasing import of live piglets. Germany saw a modest 2.8% decline in volume measured in tonnes (fig. 2).   

Looking at the value of exported pig meat, a positive picture emerges in several of the key markets. In Germany, the total value of imported pig meat, bi-products and piglets from Denmark increased by over 16% from 2022 to 2023 while the positive development is also significant in Poland, which posted an increased value of around 65% from the previous to the most recent year (fig 3).

As regards total exports of Danish pig meat, bi-products and piglets in all markets, the trend is the same: while the total volume measured in tonnes fell by 13.1%, the total value of exported pig meat, bi-products and piglets increased by 9.8%.