August 25, 2020

UK's July pork production at 20-year high

The United Kingdom's pork production increased 9% year-on-year to achieve a 20-year high for July, the latest production statistics from Defra showed.

Based on the figures, the UK produced 86,200 tonnes of pig meat in July, 7,300 tonnes more than the same month in 2019.

A total of 963,700 clean pigs were processed by UK abattoirs in July, up 6% and slaughter of sows and boars totalled 23,200 head, up 21%.

The return of the foodservice market in July also offered some support to finished pig numbers in July, according to AHDB analyst Hannah Clark.

Clark added that the rise in production is due mostly to a rise in clean pig slaughter, while dressed carcase weights were also slightly heavier throughout the year.

"Chinese importers are reportedly also ordering large quantities of pork, while hot weather on the continent is slowing pig growth rates and boosting demand for barbecue items," Clark said.

- Meat Management.com