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Diari de Catalunya

Lleida: Catalonia's Farm with Slaughter Imbalance

The province produces 60% of Catalan pork and 55% of beef, but only slaughters 11% and 14% respectively.

Generic image of a pig in a modern farm, symbolizing pig farming.
IA

Generic image of a pig in a modern farm, symbolizing pig farming.

The province of Lleida, known as Catalonia's 'farm', concentrates a significant portion of livestock production, especially in pork and beef, but its slaughterhouses process a much smaller proportion of the animals, according to the latest report from the Ministry of Agriculture.

Despite Lleida being responsible for 60% of fattening pigs and 55% of cattle raised in Catalonia, the slaughter capacity in the province is notably lower. Data from 2025 reveals that only 11% of pigs and 14% of cattle in Catalonia are processed in Lleida's slaughterhouses.
Last year, out of 22.8 million pigs slaughtered in Catalonia, Girona led with 10.7 million and Barcelona with 9.5 million. In contrast, Lleida, which concentrates most of the farms, only slaughtered 2.5 million animals. This imbalance is partly explained by the shipment of livestock to slaughterhouses in other Catalan provinces and also to neighboring communities, such as Huesca, with the Litera Meat plant in Binéfar being a key destination.
The situation is similar in the bovine sector, where out of 542,612 head of cattle slaughtered in Catalonia in 2025, the majority were in Barcelona and Tarragona (301,407 animals in total), followed by Girona (161,940). Lleida, despite high production, only slaughtered 79,202 head. This dynamic is also replicated in the sheep and goat sectors, where Lleida has a significant herd (43% of Catalan sheep and 34% of goats), but the slaughter percentage is much lower (13% and 7% respectively).

The province of Lleida is Catalonia's farm, with 60% of fattening pigs or 55% of all cattle raised in the territory. However, the percentage of animals slaughtered in the province's slaughterhouses is minimal compared to its potential.

The only exception to this trend is the broiler chicken sector. Lleida is the backbone of this sector, from farm to slaughterhouse, representing 52% of production and nearly 39% of chicken slaughter in Catalonia, with companies like Avidel and bonÀrea playing a crucial role.
Despite the general imbalance, Lleida saw an increase in the number of pigs slaughtered in its own industries, rising from 2.2 million animals in 2024 to 2.5 million in 2025. This increase is due to the growing supply of animals from farms in the province, with the fattening pig census increasing from 1,735,868 to 2,131,991 animals during the same period.

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