February 22, 2006

Total number of pigs in US and Canada reach 75.7 million in 2005

The December 2005 total inventory of all pigs in the US and Canada reached 75.7 million head, according to a report published jointly by USDA's Agriculture Marketing Service and Statistics Canada. The 2005 figure was an increase of 1 percent from December 2003, and rose slightly from 2004.

The 2005 market pig inventory of 68 million head increased slightly from the previous year. The breeding pig inventory of 7.66 million head also increased slightly from a year ago.

The total pig crop of 34.2 million head rose by 1 percent from 2003, but decreased by 1 percent from 2004. In 2005, sows farrowed reached 3.75 million head, a 1-percent decline from the previous year.