(Bloomberg) -- In a country renowned for its sausages, the pig herd has plummeted to its smallest level in decades. Germany’s hog herd fell to 22.3 million animals as of May 3, data from the federal statistics office showed Monday. That’s the lowest since at least 1990, when the country reunified, and nearly 10% smaller than a year earlier.The rapid plunge in numbers highlights the stress that livestock farmers worldwide are under this year, as costs for feed, energy and fertilizer surge. That’s kept producers on difficult financial footing, even with a recent uptick in German pig prices, the statistics bureau said. Farmers in countries like the US and UK are facing similar challenges.The European Union is the world’s largest pork exporter, and Germany is historically one of its production heavyweights. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has exacerbated the challenges facing farmers across the bloc, as the war curtails shipments of corn and other feedstuffs from the Black Sea nation. Countries including Germany have also been battling outbreaks of deadly African swine fever, particularly in wild hogs, restricting meat exports to some major buyers.
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