Big reduction in UK pig slaughterings and pigmeat production recorded in February

UK clean pig slaughterings and pigmeat production were significantly down in February, as the long-anticipated pig shortages finally became fully apparent. Clean pig slaugherings were down 17% on February 2022 at 762,000 head, following the surprisingly small 1% year-on-year dip recorded by Defra in January. Throughputs are down 11% on January and sit 13% below the 5-year average. “This is the first time monthly numbers have been below 800,000 head since May 2020 when the UK was still in the first covid-19 lockdown, and the lowest recorded monthly figure since May 2014,” said AHDB analyst Freya Shuttleworth. The large reduction in slaugherings tallies with AHDB GB weekly slaughtering estimates, which showed huge reductions on 2022 and 2021 in February and will come as little surprise after Defra census data showed a 20% drop in the breeding herd in the year to December 2022. February pigmeat production was 21% lower than in February 2022 at 70,000 tonnes, the Defra figures show. ...