January 20, 2022

UK annual pork production volume in 2022 slightly higher compared to 2021

Data from the UK Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs showed the country's annual pork production volume in 2022 reached 1.05 million tonnes, 1.2% or 12,600 tonnes higher compared to 2021, the UK Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board reported.

The data also showed 80,100 tonnes of pork were produced in the UK in December 2022. Due of the disruption caused by the holiday season, kill patterns decreased by 13% or 11,8000 tonnes from November 2022. This volume is much lower than it was in December 2021 (-11%, 9,800 tonnes), but it is slightly higher (+0.6%, 400 tonnes) than the December 5-year average.

Defra data showed clean pig slaughter totaled 884,700 head in December, an 11% (110,600 head) decrease from November, again as a result of disrupted kills around Christmas. In all, 11.2 million clean pigs will be butchered in 2022, a slight decline (-0.6%, 62,000 head) from 2021. This year-on-year decline in slaughter numbers is because of the additional bank holidays in 2022, resulting in fewer working days.

The number of sow and boar killed in December decreased to 18,000 head, the lowest monthly total since October 2021. The year 2021 and the glut of swine are the exceptions to the rule, as sow and boar numbers do often decline in December. This increases the total for the year to 257,000 head, which is an increase of 5% over last year and compared to the annual 5-year average.

Carcase weights decreased again in December, with the average for the month coming in at 87.6kg. Weights are now 3.3 kg lighter than they were in December of last year when pigs were backing up on the farm, but they are still 1.7 kg heavier than the five-year norm.

The primary factor influencing increasing output in 2022 has been carcase weights. Average weights reached their highest point at the beginning of the year when the backlog was at its worst, then they began to reduce again in the fall and winter. Overall, carcase weights for the year were an average of 90.1 kg, an increase of 2% over 2021 and over 5 kg over the yearly 5-year average.

-      UK Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board