# Sow Herd Falls to Nearly Six-Year Low—Why Did Pork Production Hit a Record in the First Three Quarters?

> China's breeding-sow herd stood at 36.02 million at the end of the third quarter of 2026, down 4.7% from the previous quarter and 10.7% year over year. Despite the smaller sow herd, hog slaughter in the first three quarters rose 1.4% year over year to a record 537.39 million head, and pork production increased 3.2% to a record 45.08 million tonnes.

- Date: 2026-11-06 · published 2026-11-06T03:17:32.181Z
- Category: report · region China · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/83344-sow-herd-falls-to-nearly-six-year-low-why-did-pork-production-hit-a-record-in
- Commodities: [Lean Hogs](https://feedsoft.ai/c/HOGS.md)

## Why it matters

Record slaughter and pork output indicate ample near-term meat supply, weighing on hog prices and supporting feed demand while production remains high. The smaller sow base could constrain hog and feed demand later as it works through the production cycle.

## Read by commodity

- HOGS: bearish ▼

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| HOGS | 2021-10-18 | [China posts highest Q3 pork output in three years as herd recovers \| Financial Post](https://feedsoft.ai/events/44515-china-posts-highest-q3-pork-output-in-three-years-as-herd-recovers-financial.md) | -5.5% | -7.1% |
| HOGS | 2017-12-22 | [Seeds are sown for another year of record production](https://feedsoft.ai/events/67634-seeds-are-sown-for-another-year-of-record-production.md) | +2.5% | +9.1% |
| HOGS | 2022-04-19 | [Q1 pork production in China reaches three-year high 19.04.2022 - UkrAgroConsult](https://feedsoft.ai/events/41841-q1-pork-production-in-china-reaches-three-year-high-19-04-2022-ukragroconsult.md) | -2.8% | -6.1% |
| HOGS | 2019-02-22 | [Another Record Year for Meat Production Forecast for 2019](https://feedsoft.ai/events/60541-another-record-year-for-meat-production-forecast-for-2019.md) | -1.1% | +25.0% |
| HOGS | 2021-11-10 | [China posts highest Q3 pork output in three years as herd recovers - Canadian Cattlemen](https://feedsoft.ai/events/44056-china-posts-highest-q3-pork-output-in-three-years-as-herd-recovers-canadian.md) | +0.6% | -6.8% |

## Sources

- news.zhuwang.com.cn: https://news.zhuwang.com.cn/xinwen/20261106/656318.html

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