2001-2008: Professionnalisation de la production porcine malgré des bâtiments vieillissants

Data collected from the pig farms survey led in late 2008 by the French Ministryfor Agriculture's Statistics and Forecasting Agency ('SSP-BSA') has been exploited to highlight a selection of indicators characterizing pig farming and pork production over the last 8 years. The final survey population covered 11,256 counting 969,322 sow stalls and 8,156,677 farrow-to-finish units, meaning that 86.4% of French pig farms count over 100 animals 83.1% count over 20 sows (92% of the national French herd stock). One in four pig farms folded between 2001 and 2008. Even though pig farming extends to every region of France, production is essentially centred in Brittany and the centre-west (the Normandy, Pays-de-la-Loire, and Poitou-Charentes regions). Average pig farm size has increased, reaching 161 sows for farrow-to-finish farms, which represent the majority farm system (86% of all sows). The specialization curve has continued, leading a shift in legal status (fewer sole proprietorships) and an increase in salaried farm labour. However, ageing farm operators and ageing barn facilities prompt fears that production is liable to drop in coming years.