November 24, 2016

UK pork production in Oct. posts sharpest decline since 2009

Total UK pig-meat production last month totalled 73,500 tonnes, a 5% decrease from the adjusted 2015 figure, data from the UK Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, or Defra, showed. “This represents the sharpest rate of year-on-year decline in output for any month since April 2009”, AHDB Pork said.

At 865,100 head, UK clean pig slaughterings were down 5% in October compared with the same month in 2015. This was the third consecutive month of falling throughputs.

Average carcase weights during the same month decreased by a modest 0.2 kilogramme from September to 81.8 kg.

With UK pig prices remaining buoyant, the reduction in slaughterings backs up reports of tightening supplies on the market.