# Chinese pig herd plunges; will the market escape its slump?

> China's breeding sow herd fell to 36.02 million head in September, down 11% year on year and down for five straight quarters, while total hog inventory fell 2.6% to 425.33 million. Hog prices are under pressure from ample supply and weak consumption, with the national wholesale average at 16.33 yuan/kg in September and falling into the 15 yuan range in October.

- Date: 2026-11-04 · published 2026-11-05T00:16:10.462Z
- Category: policy · region China · magnitude low
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/80797-chinese-pig-herd-plunges-will-the-market-escape-its-slump
- Commodities: [Lean Hogs](https://feedsoft.ai/c/HOGS.md)

## Why it matters

Falling sow numbers point to lower pork output in 2027, which could support hog prices, but weak pork demand limits recovery and feed demand from China's hog sector.

## Read by commodity

- HOGS: neutral

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| HOGS | 2022-12-28 | [NDRC in coordination with Chinese farmers to stabilise supply - European Pork \| European Pork, the Smart Choice](https://feedsoft.ai/events/38236-ndrc-in-coordination-with-chinese-farmers-to-stabilise-supply-european-pork.md) | -5.4% | -12.7% |
| HOGS | 2026-07-24 | [Washington moves the money while pork policy waits](https://feedsoft.ai/events/18320-washington-moves-the-money-while-pork-policy-waits.md) | -1.5% | -13.8% |
| HOGS | 2019-11-18 | [China urges regions to speed up pig breeding ahead of Lunar New Year](https://feedsoft.ai/events/56062-china-urges-regions-to-speed-up-pig-breeding-ahead-of-lunar-new-year.md) | -1.8% | +4.5% |
| HOGS | 2018-11-14 | [China's top pig farming firm to follow new lower protein feed standards
						 \| The Pig Site](https://feedsoft.ai/events/62041-china-s-top-pig-farming-firm-to-follow-new-lower-protein-feed-standards-the-pig.md) | +0.3% | -5.4% |
| HOGS | 2021-10-12 | [China: MARA Plan Aims to Manage Swine Sector and Scale \| USDA Foreign Agricultural Service](https://feedsoft.ai/events/44518-china-mara-plan-aims-to-manage-swine-sector-and-scale-usda-foreign-agricultural.md) | -8.5% | -13.4% |

## Sources

- pigtimes.co.kr: http://www.pigtimes.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=53700

---
Data from Feedsoft AI (https://feedsoft.ai/). For information only; not investment advice.