12.6% decrease in the slaughtering of acorn-fed Iberian pigs in the 2022/2023 open range

The montanera, that long-awaited period in which Iberian pigs feed on acorns in the pastures, has yielded interesting data for the 2022/2023 campaign. According to the records of the Identification, Traceability and Quality System (ITACA), there has been a 12.6% decrease in the slaughter of acorn-fed pigs compared to the previous year. This translates into 86,215 fewer animals that have gone through this emblematic process. We will analyze these results and the figures by autonomous community in more detail below.

In the 2022/2023 season, a total of 596,274 acorn-fed pigs were slaughtered, compared to 682,489 animals slaughtered in the previous season. Of the total number of animals slaughtered, 86.7% (516,985 animals) correspond to Quality Standard acorn-fed pigs, while 13.3% (79,289 animals) belong to Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) production.

Analyzing the types of acorn-fed pigs slaughtered, it can be seen that 62.1% correspond to those with a black seal, i.e., 100% Iberian acorns, which represents a total of 370,560 animals. On the other hand, 37.8% are red seal, of which 7% (41,824 animals) are 75% Iberian acorns and the remaining 30.8% (183,886 animals) are 50% Iberian acorns.

A breakdown of the data by autonomous community shows that Andalusia leads the production of acorn-fed acorns this year, representing 48.1% (286,777 animals). However, this figure shows a decrease of 11.15% compared to the previous year. Extremadura is in second place with 38.7% (230,468 animals), a decrease of 9.7% compared to the 2021/2022 period. Castilla y León is in third place with 7.5% (44,719 animals), but has experienced a drop of 19.5% compared to the previous season.

Portugal recorded a production of 26,233 acorn-fed acorns, which is equivalent to 4.4% of the total and represents a significant decrease of 33.8% with respect to the previous montanera. Castilla-La Mancha produced 8,032 animals, 11.8% less than in the previous season. Finally, Madrid fattened 45 animals, a figure that remains stable compared to previous years.

The results of the 2022/2023 open range show a 12.6% decrease in the slaughter of acorn-fed pigs compared to the previous season.