Welcome to the European Parliamentary Research Service podcast on the EU pig meat sector.

With a population of around 150 million, there are more pigs than any other livestock category in the EU.

The sector is supported by the Common Agriculture policy, but is facing serious challenges.

Its negative impact on the environment, concerns about animal health, and an uncertain international

context need to be addressed if the sector is to become more sustainable in the future

and match the EU's green ambitions. Stay with us.

Let's begin with some facts. The EU peak meat sector alone accounts for nearly half the total

EU meat production. The main producers are Germany, Spain and France. Between them, they represent

half of the EU's total production, but Denmark, the Netherlands and Poland also have large pig

populations. The EU is the world's second biggest producer of pork after China and the biggest

exporter of pork and pork products. It exports about 13% of its global production,

most of it to East Asia and China in particular. And exports to this country have increased by 80%

in the last year as a result of the African swine fever outbreak which decimated millions of

animals and pushed prices to a peak in early 2020.

Indeed, the pig sector is also a very diverse sector with huge differences in methods and sizes of farms,

from very small farms keeping just a few pigs to large industrial installations with thousands of them,

and the trend goes in favour of the larger holdings.

The enthusiasm for organic farming has not really reached the sector yet,

with only 1% of all pig farming in the EU being organic.

That is an even smaller proportion than that of bovine, sheep or poultry,

but how is the sector organised? Let's have a look.

Pork is covered by the Common Market Organisation, which regulates trade conditions and supports the sector in times of crisis,

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