April 20, 2011
 

Malta's pig population rises

According to a census conducted by Malta in 2010, the pig population increased by 7.1% in 2010 over 2009, while the amount of slaughtered pigs declined by 5.4%, the National Statistics Office (NSO) said on Monday (Apr 18).

The media reports that in December 2010, the pig population amounted to 70,583 head, representing an increase of 7.1%, or 4,665 pigs over 2009. The stock of piglets and fattening pigs rose by 13.9 and 15.5% respectively, while stocks of young pigs decreased by 4.9%.

Breeding stock, which consists mainly of breeding sows, registered a drop of 5.2% when compared to the previous year.

The NSO said the census revealed that 131 holdings were engaged in pig production. Of these, 60.3% had less than 400 pigs apiece, and accounted for 19.7% of total stock, or 13,878 head.

On the other hand, 39.7% of all holdings each had more than 400 head, amounting to 56,705 pigs, or 80.3% of the total pig population.

On a regional level, the pig population increased by 5.2% in Malta and by 34.9% in Gozo and Comino. Overall, 65,098 pigs, or 92.2% were located in Maltese farms, with the Western District accounting for 38.6%. In Gozo and Comino, the pig population amounted to 5,485 head, or 7.8% of the total stock.