UK pig meat production exceeds 1 million tonnes in 2021

Production of pig meat in the UK was 1.02 million tonnes in 2021, according to data released by Defra. This is the highest production level since 1999, and despite all the problems the sector has been facing, is a 4% increase in production over 2020. 11.1 million clean pigs were slaughtered in 2021, 2% more than in the previous year.

In December 2021 alone, 952,000 clean pigs were slaughtered, the same number as last December. However, average carcase weights were significantly heavier at 90.9kg (they have been heavier still in AHDB’s weekly SPP sample), as many pigs have been held on farm far longer than planned. Together these mean that at 90,000 tonnes, production was 4% more than the same month a year ago despite having the same number of working days.

Challenges in the sector remain, with processing capacity in some plants curtailed further in recent days. A high level of absenteeism due to the latest wave of coronavirus is behind the cuts. Combined with less killing over the Christmas period, these factors will not have offered any help to reduce the backlog of pigs still being reported on farms.

For more information on how production might develop during 2022, look out for AHDB’s January Agri-market outlook, released at the end of this month.

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