Slightly smaller pig herd, barely reduced cattle herd

Herd of cows seen from the air
© Hollandse Hoogte / Frans Lemmens luchtfotografie
In 2021, the pig herd in the Netherlands was slightly reduced year-on-year to almost 11.4 million. The cattle herd was virtually unchanged at 3.8 million head. The dairy goat herd grew slightly to 482 thousand while the sheep herd fell to 848 thousand. The poultry herd declined to slightly under 100 million. This is evident from provisional figures taken from the Agricultural Census 2021 conducted by Statistics Netherlands (CBS).

As at 1 April 2021, there were 512 thousand (4 percent) fewer pigs in the Netherlands than one year previously. The total size of the pig herd has fluctuated around 12 million for years. However, they are kept at an increasingly lower number of holdings. The number of pig farms has dropped from 6,500 in 2011 to 3,400 thousand in 2021. The decline in pig population and pig farms is partly the result of a buy-out scheme for livestock farmers to control ammonia emissions as well as the Subsidy Scheme for the Remediation of Pig Farms (SRV).

The average pig herd per farm has almost doubled: from 1,900 in 2011 to 3,400 in 2021. With an average of 5,300 and 4,800 head respectively, the largest holdings are found in the provinces of Limburg and Noord-Brabant.

No more growth in dairy goat populations in Gelderland and Noord-Brabant

Over the past two decades, the dairy goat herd has increased nearly fivefold. It stands at 482 thousand in 2021, over 1 percent more than in the previous year. Most goats are kept in the provinces of Noord-Brabant (141 thousand) and Gelderland (117 thousand). Over half of the total dairy goat herd is found in these two provinces.

In view of the potential health risks for residents living near goat farms, a ban on goat breeding has been implemented in several provinces. Up to 2020 inclusive, the goat herd nevertheless continued to expand in both Noord-Brabant and Gelderland; the continuous rise over many years has levelled off this year.

Cattle population hardly changed

This year, the cattle population has declined by 17 thousand (0.4 percent) year-on-year. The number of veal calves is down by 2 percent to over 1 million head. The threshold of 1 million veal calves was crossed for the first time in 2018. This year the dairy cow herd stands at 1.57 million, 1.4 percent less than in 2020. On the other hand, the number of young bovines has risen by 3.4 percent to 967 thousand.

Dairy farm acreage has increased on average

Dairy holdings occupy almost half of all agricultural land in the Netherlands. In 2021, these farms occupy an average cultivated area of 58 hectares. This is nearly 12 hectares more than in 2011. In 2021, the average dairy farm has 103 dairy cows, up from 76 cows ten years ago.

The average stocking rate (number of dairy cows per hectare) was still 1.63 units in 2011, against 1.77 this year. The highest stocking rates are found in Noord-Brabant and Flevoland at 2.21 and 1.96 units, respectively. The lowest stocking rates can be found in Noord-Holland and Drenthe at 1.52 and 1.59 units, respectively.

Fewer chickens

The poultry herd has declined slightly in recent years. In 2021, there are approximately 99.9 million chickens, i.e. 2 percent less than in the previous year. The decline is due to a reduced number of chickens for meat production: this number fell by 2 million to a total of 47 million (-4 percent). On the other hand, the number of laying hens rose by 119 thousand to slightly over 43 million.

Sources