Poland agricultural sector sees pig population decline and farm consolidation

Recent data from the Agency for Restructuring and Modernisation of Agriculture (ARiMR) and Statistics Poland (GUS) reveal significant shifts in the Polish agricultural sector. The pig population in Poland has seen a substantial decline, dropping from over 17.6 million in 2007 to approximately 9.3 million recently, representing a nearly 50 percent decrease over the last two decades.

This decline is accompanied by a trend of consolidation within the industry. While large-scale pig farms are strengthening, smaller holdings are increasingly being liquidated.

Furthermore, the average size of agricultural holdings in Poland has risen to 11.97 hectares. Regional disparities remain stark: the West Pomeranian Voivodeship leads with the largest average farm size at 34.71 hectares, whereas the Lesser Poland Voivodeship has the smallest average at 4.47 hectares. Total land declared for direct payments by over 1.1 million farmers reached 13.865 million hectares.