Continued stability in Canadian pig herd

Canada is a major global pork producer and exporter. British and EU exporters face competition from Canadian pork when supplying Asian markets. It is also the second-largest supplier of pork to Mexico, and so developments in Canada matter for global pork markets, and by extension, the UK.

Farmgate pig prices have been rising in Canada this year, influenced by strength in the US market. Prices at the end of February were CAD$2.34/kg (137p/kg) (Porc Qualité Québec), having been below £1/kg at the end of 2021.

Figures published by Statistics Canada, place the national herd at 14.11m head on 1 January, annual growth of 0.6%. The breeding sow herd showed even more modest growth at only 0.3%, to 1.24m head.    

The number of sows farrowed between July and December 2021 was 1.25m, 1% down on the same period in 2020. The number of pigs born was 16.86m, slightly down on the same period a year earlier. Production in 2022 is likely to be stable compared with 2021, and indeed this is what the USDA is forecasting, at 2.15 million tonnes.

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