English pig herd contracts

The size of the English pig herd fell markedly on 1 Dec 2021, according to the latest data released by Defra. The female breeding herd was 295,000 head, 6.9% (22,000 head) smaller than a year before. The number of sows in pig is recorded to have fallen by 32,000 head. The data also shows that there were 3.7 million clean pigs on farms on that date, over 10% more than on the same date a year before.

Producers in the sector have been beset by poor profitability for several quarters, facing rising costs and falling pig prices. Limits to growth in pig slaughter capacity mean large numbers of market-ready pigs are being held on farms, only making matters worse. As such, some producers are leaving the sector, while others reduce numbers.

For more on what this contraction in numbers might mean for UK production and trade in 2022, look out for the January pork outlook, released here, next week.

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