UK: England loses one-fifth of female breeding herd

Published Mar 2, 2023

Tridge summary

The UK's female breeding herd for pigs saw a significant decline of 20% in 2022, dropping to 237,000 from 295,000 the previous year. This decrease affected various segments of the herd, including a 16% drop in in-pig sows and a 31% decrease in in-pig gilts. The overall English pig herd also fell by 9.2% to 3.7 million, with a anticipated 15% drop in UK pork production forecasted for 2023 by AHDB. The National Pig Association is urging the Government to review the pork supply chain, calling for reforms that ensure a fairer, more sustainable supply chain for all players.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

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 ...

Source: EuroMeat