Each and every 10 years, the Agricultural Census supplies a snapshot of French agriculture. In 2020, metropolitan France had 389,779 farms (-20% in 10 years). Part of them produced cattle (167,000, -24% in 10 years). Of those, 82% elevate herbivores,10% granivores, and eight% are combined cattle.
The lower in pig farms is slowing down
The lower within the selection of pig farms is slowing: 59,549 in 2000, 22,286 in 2010 (-63%), and 13,048 in 2020 (-42%). Virtually all pigs within the nation are raised on a complete of 8,448 farms with greater than 100 pigs or 20 sows, of which 4,426 have sows. This determine doubled in 2000. The lower in stock could also be slowing down: 13.3 million pigs in 2020 (-3.5%/2010), together with 955,795 sows (-14.3 %).
Evolution of the selection of farms with pigs and the selection of pigs in France from 1970 to 2020. Supply: SSP-Agreste, RGA, RA, ESEA, knowledge processing by means of IFIP.
Sorts of pig farms
In France, there are 3 major forms of pig farms: specialised (44% of farms and 67% of pigs); combined cropping/pig farming (20% of farms and 11% of pigs); combined herbivore/pig farming (29% of farms and 21% of pigs). All forms of pig farms misplaced farms between 2010 and 2020, however the lower was once largest for combined farms with -43.2% farms and -27% pigs whilst the smallest lower was once for distinctiveness farms with -18.6% farms and +5.9% pigs.
Focus of the pig stock
Greater than 70% of the pig herd continues to be concentrated within the 3 western areas of the rustic (Brittany, Will pay de l. a. Loire, and Basse-Normandie). The pig herd held up higher outdoor the Grand Ouest between 2010 and 2020 with just a -2.4% lower after its 14.2% plunge within the 2000s, whilst the Grand Ouest misplaced 4.1% of its pigs. With 56.3% of pigs, Brittany stays France’s main pig farming area, however the drop within the selection of pigs there was higher.
Distribution of the pig stock in France in 2020. 1 Brittany, 2 Basse-Normandie, 3 Haute-Normandie, 4 Picardie, 5 Nord-Pas-de-Calais, 6 Champagne-Ardenne, 7 Lorraine, 8 Alsace, 9 Franche-Comté, 10 Burgundy, 11 IDF, 12 Centre, 13 Will pay de l. a. Loire, 14 Poitou-Charentes, 15 Limousin, 16 Auvergne, 17 Rhône-Alpes, 18 PACA, 19 Languedoc-Roussillon, 20 Midi-Pyrénées, 21 Aquitaine.
Evolution of the pig herd in France (in %) from 2010 to 2020. 1 Brittany, 2 Basse-Normandie, 3 Haute-Normandie, 4 Picardie, 5 Nord-Pas-de-Calais, 6 Champagne-Ardenne, 7 Lorraine, 8 Alsace, 9 Franche-Comté, 10 Burgundy, 11 IDF, 12 Centre, 13 Will pay de l. a. Loire, 14 Poitou-Charentes, 15 Limousin, 16 Auvergne, 17 Rhône-Alpes, 18 PACA, 19 Languedoc-Roussillon, 20 Midi-Pyrénées, 21 Aquitaine.
Evolution of the pig herd in France (in %) from 2000 to 2010. 1 Brittany, 2 Basse-Normandie, 3 Haute-Normandie, 4 Picardie, 5 Nord-Pas-de-Calais, 6 Champagne-Ardenne, 7 Lorraine, 8 Alsace, 9 Franche-Comté, 10 Burgundy, 11 IDF, 12 Centre, 13 Will pay de l. a. Loire, 14 Poitou-Charentes, 15 Limousin, 16 Auvergne, 17 Rhône-Alpes, 18 PACA, 19 Languedoc-Roussillon, 20 Midi-Pyrénées, 21 Aquitaine.
Maximum pig farms in France are multi-purpose operations
The pig herd is an increasing number of concentrated (67% in 2020) on specialised farms and not using a land and no different animal manufacturing, and even no sows. Whilst this displays the trouble of managing a number of cattle devices, it additionally raises the query of setting apart manufacturing devices into other prison constructions, as does the rise in pig farms with out cultivated spaces and even with out sows. The lifestyles of a number of prison constructions is the results of historical past, of a regulatory legal responsibility (partnership with a 3rd celebration, off-farm task) however regularly of a decision to acquire authorizations, to evolve to environmental constraints and to the conditionality of support, to maximise support, and to optimize tax and social deductions.
Territories specialize greater than farms
Farms with plants and cattle manufacturing are lowering in spaces orientated round vegetable manufacturing (Middle, Burgundy, Picardy, and so on.) and are progressing in cattle spaces with arable land (Brittany). The hunt for autonomy at the land, a technique pig farmers have used since commodity costs skyrocketed in 2008, ends up in an build up within the moderate cultivated space in line with farm, with out lowering the volume of pigs in line with hectare because of the rise within the selection of animals.
Between 2010-2020, the expansion within the selection of pigs on the two extremes of farm measurement illustrates the polarization of initiatives between the advent of small farms (natural, with straw), in brief circuits and the advance of enormous standard farms.
Selection manufacturing and gross sales are nonetheless restricted
7.1% of the farms (1.6% of the pig herd) file that a few of their pigs are raised open air; 5.5% of the farms (1.7% of the pigs) are qualified natural or within the means of acquiring the certificates and eight.3% of the farms (3.3% of the pigs) procedure the beef at the similar farm.
The evolution in opposition to an increasing number of specialised pig manufacturing, with very little land, or different animal manufacturing, and even with out sows, displays the trouble of reconciling different types of manufacturing, but additionally the separation of the productions of an agricultural corporate into separate prison constructions.
The significance of pig manufacturing relating to employment is lowering, restricted to 22,200 full-time equivalents in 2020. Pig farmer succession stays a significant factor with one-third of the pigs within the fingers of a farmer elderly 55 years or older!