The United Kingdom pig inhabitants shrunk through 10% to its lowest stage in additional than 10 years previous this 12 months, the result of Defra’s June census displays.
The United Kingdom pig inhabitants stood at 4.68 million head in June 2023, a 12 months on 12 months decline of 10.3%, reflecting the lack of 537,000 pigs. It’s the smallest pig inhabitants recorded in the United Kingdom since 2012.
The drop within the overall pig inhabitants used to be pushed through a 11.2% fall within the numbers of fattening pigs to 4.26 million head, the bottom quantity recorded since 2015. AHDB analyst Freya Shuttleworth mentioned this mirrored the dimensions of the decline in the United Kingdom breeding herd closing 12 months, and the detrimental affects the summer time 2022 heatwave had on fertility.
Those figures tallied with low slaughter throughputs being noticed in 2023, with the blank pig kill within the 12 months to November sitting 9.1% at the back of numbers recorded closing 12 months.
Following the dramatic decline noticed within the June 2022 survey, the whole breeding pig inhabitants has stabilised, falling through simplest 0.2% over the 12 months to 428,000 head.
Inside the class, actions had been blended, on the other hand. After declining through 14% closing 12 months, the total feminine breeding herd noticed a reasonably small decline of one.5% to overall 338,000 head, with sows in pig down 3.6% year-on-year.
On the other hand, gilts in pig have been up a vital 13%, whilst the selection of gilts meant for first time breeding grew through 6.5%. Boars getting used for carrier recorded a lack of 5.4% year-on-year.
“The rise of gilts in pig and the selection of gilts meant for first time breeding displays indicators of stepped forward trade sentiment, most probably partially because of stepped forward farm margins. Whilst this may increasingly point out wary expansion for some manufacturers, we don’t be expecting to peer the trade bouncing again to the heights of 2021 with regards to pig numbers, throughputs or manufacturing,” Ms Shuttleworth mentioned.
AHDB will delve deeper into long run forecasts in our 2024 Marketplace Outlook within the new 12 months.