UK: England loses one-fifth of female breeding herd

The female breeding herd numbered 237,000 at the end of 2022, compared with 295,000 in December 2021, a 20% decline and 25% below the 317,000 head recorded in 2020. There was a 16% drop in the number of in-pig sows to just under 170,000 and a 31% dip in in-pig gilt numbers to below 30,000, with the number of gilts not yet in pig down 27% to 58,000. ‘Other sows’, either being suckled or dry sows kept for further breeding, were down 26% to 38,080, The December breeding herd figures follow from June 2022 census data showing an 18% year-on-year decline. The overall English pig herd was down 9.2% year-on-year, at 3.7 million, including a 7.9% reduction in the number of fattening pigs. However, the December 2022 figure represents a return to typical pig numbers seen from 2017 to 2020, after the backlog-inflated peak of December 2021. While the wider UK figures have not yet been published, the implications for UK pig production are likely to be significant, especially when the impact of ...