May 3 2010

Canadian pork supply dips on smaller herds

Canadian pork inventories on April 1 were 6.1% smaller than a year earlier as farmers reduced hog herds, according to Statistics Canada.

Warehouses held 49,372 tonnes of the meat, compared with 52,586 tonnes a year earlier, the government agency said.

The country's hog herd totalled 11.635 million heads on April 1, down 2.1% from a year earlier and the smallest since at least 2003, Statistics Canada said. Farmers have cut herds after high feed costs and slumping pork demand led to losses.

Meanwhile, North American meat demand tends to increase as weather warms and more consumers grill outdoors.