March 12, 2012

UK pig population drop 1.3% from 2010

The UK pig herd has shrunk by 1.3% since December 2010 to 4.3 million, the smallest ever since December 1992, according to the latest farming statistics. 

The English pig herd fell by 0.7% to 3.5 million over the same period. The UK's number of breeding pigs has fallen to 500 thousand animals in December 2011, and the English breeding herd remained unchanged from December 2010's figure of 415 thousand pigs.  

The UK's herd of fattening pigs shrank by 50,000 to 3.8 million pigs, with England's herd remaining at 3.1 million for the second year running as at December 1. This stability and consolidation of pig numbers perhaps reflects producers continuing to wait and see how their markets develop over the next few months, particularly in England.