According to a statement by the UK’s Agriculture and Horticulture Promotion Agency (AHDB), around 762,000 fattening pigs were slaughtered in the UK in February. This was no less than 17 percent lower than February 2022 and the lowest number of cuts since May 2014. Pork production even fell 21 percent to 70,200 tonnes. The reason for this can be traced back to the much lower slaughter weight of the pigs supplied. This was reported by the German swine benefit organization ISN based on information from Agra Europe.

Sow less

The number of sows also fell sharply. For example, the number of sows in June 2022 was 343,000, 13.6 percent below the June 2021 level. This development is not surprising. After all, in 2022 UK pig farmers significantly reduced the number of their animals due to high production costs resulting in significant economic losses. The latest calculation with reference to December 2022 is not yet available. However, AHDB analysts estimate that the herd has not grown since summer and was about 10 percent smaller in December than last year.

Increasing imports

The sharp decline in production will lead to a further increase in pork imports by the UK in 2023. AHDB analysts expect imports to grow by around 10 per cent compared to 2022. In 2022, imports have already increased by 11 per cent. It is likely that the supply of fattening pigs will increase again in the long term. After all, with falling production costs and good yields, sowing farmers may decide to keep more animals.