The domestic pig sector is on solid footing

(Photo: AM/Csaba Pelsőczy)

The Minister highlighted that, among the subsidies financed from the national budget, 10.2 billion forints are available for pig fattening animal welfare subsidies this year. 7 billion forints can be used for notified measures, and 3.2 billion forints for small-scale measures. The income replacement subsidy available after keeping a breeding sow is 7.8 billion forints. A budget of 12.5 billion forints is available for the eradication of animal diseases, and Hungarian farmers have been protected against damage caused by extreme weather conditions − as the first in the EU − by a crisis insurance system since 2021, which has compensated up to 71 percent of lost farmer income. Thanks to this, the performance of the pig sector, which is a key sector within animal husbandry and has a long tradition, is increasing. In Hungary, the sow population has increased by 7 percent to 174 thousand. 2.8 million pigs were kept in our country in June this year, which is an annual increase of almost 4 percent – István Nagy pointed out. Last year, the sector’s production approached 600 thousand tons, which is an 8 percent increase compared to 2023. The volume of live pig exports increased by almost 16 percent, and that of pork exports by about 13 percent in one year.

Hungarian pork was also in demand in the Far East, such as South Korea and Vietnam, which is sold to our traditional EU markets.

In 2024, Romania again became our largest buyer with more than 38 percent of sales revenue, followed by Italy and Croatia. Hungarian residents consume 30 kilograms per capita per year. The Minister of Agriculture emphasized that although it has long been a defining ingredient in Hungarian cuisine, there is still room for expansion, which is why the Ministry of Agriculture encourages the consumption of healthy and safe domestic pork, including mangalica meat, with regular campaigns. “Mutually beneficial cooperation with actors in the pork sector can further increase the competitiveness of farmers, who can also access better conditions and discounts on the domestic and international markets,” the Minister underlined.

AM