UK pig meat production rises in 2022 on the back of heavier carcass weights

UK pigmeat production increased by 1.2%, 12,600 tonnes, to 1.05 million tonnes, despite lower slaughter pig numbers. A total of 1.2 million clean pigs were slaughtered in 2022, a 0.6% decrease, representing 62,000 head. AHDB analyst Freya Shuttleworth said it was likely that this year-on-year decline in slaughter numbers was due to the additional bank holidays last year, creating fewer working days. Carcase weights have been the main driver for increased production in 2022. The average of 90.1kg was almost 5kg higher than the annual 5-year average and 2% up on 2021. Average weights peaked at the beginning of the year during the height of the backlog and gradually eased until the autumn then declined again come winter. UK pig meat production totalled 80,100 tonnes in December 2022, according to the latest Defra data, a drop of 13% (11,8000 tonnes) compared with November as the festive holidays disrupted usual kill patterns. Although December volumes were 11%, 9,800 tonnes, below ...