Difficult year for pig farmers - rising costs and declining farm profitability

A meeting of the Lithuanian Pig Breeders' Association (LPAA) discussed the 2025 performance results and the most pressing challenges for the sector. The event was attended by Algimanta Pabedinskienė, President of the Chamber of Agriculture, Ramūnas Krugelis, Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Genadijus Vorobjovas, advisor, representatives of other institutions and companies involved in the sector.

The report presented by the Association noted that last year was a very challenging year for the pig sector, which was affected by the European Union's Green Deal requirements, rising production costs, geopolitical tensions and intensifying import competition. This has led to a decline in farm profitability and opportunities for expansion.

Lithuania currently produces only around 45% of the pork it needs and investment support for the sector remains among the lowest in agriculture. The Association has actively raised these issues at national level and made proposals to the Government and the Ministry of Agriculture to increase the focus on pig production.

African swine fever (ASF), the strengthening of biosecurity and the improvement of compensation mechanisms have received considerable attention. It also highlighted the increasing burden of veterinary and environmental requirements on farms, which could further affect the competitiveness of the sector.

Greeting the participants of the meeting, Algimanta Pabedinskienė, Chairperson of the EAA, stressed the need to strengthen cooperation: "Today, the pig sector is facing exceptional challenges, and constructive dialogue and a united position of local governments are essential to ensure the competitiveness of the sector and to increase the availability of local production.

The event also honoured people who have contributed to the sector. The Minister of Agriculture's appreciation and a gift from the Association were presented to Kasparas Jurevičius, a long-standing member of the Association and former President, in recognition of his significant contribution to the development of Lithuanian pig farming and his more than 50 years of experience in the sector.