The reduction in densities per square metre on pig farms established by the new animal welfare regulations will cost more than 300,000 euros per farmer. Even more than 500,000 euros if the aim is to increase the surface area to maintain the level of production. These are calculations by the professional associations Asaja and COAG, which are also asking for a three-year extension (until 9 January 2028) to ensure “an effective and sustainable transition”.
Royal Decree 159/2023, which modifies the minimum standards for the protection of pigs, introduces new space density requirements per animal. The main modifications concern the transition of piglets, whose surface area must increase from 0.2 to 0.24 square metres per head, and the fattening of pigs, which increases from 0.65 to 0.74. The new space density requirements will lead to a loss of between 4 and 8 million fattened pigs per year, according to calculations by these organisations, which are also requesting a package of aid for farmers.
Our country is currently at the forefront of the European pig sector and has a census of 34.4 million heads, a figure much higher than that of Germany, in second place with 21.2 million, or France (11.7), according to data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries. In 2022, a total of 88,437 pig farms were registered in Spain, nearly 69,000 of which followed an intensive production system.
With a volume of slaughter representing 24% of the EU total (in January 2024 alone, there were 5.2 million), Spanish households consumed nearly 383 million tonnes of fresh pork (8.94 kilos per capita) and 433.5 million tonnes of processed pork (10.31 kilos per capita) in 2023.