England’s pig herd fell by 10 percent last year, Defra says
The overall pig herd in England fell by 10 percent in 2023, following the huge contraction of the breeding herd in 2022, figures show.
Defra’s December census showed that the breeding herd stabilised last year, but showed little sign of growth. There was also a drop in young pig numbers.
The total number of pigs in England fell to 3.3 million in December 2023, a loss of nearly 400,000 pigs.
The 10% year-on-year decline was driven by an 11% fall in the number of fattening pigs to just over 3 million.
According to Defra’s figures, the overall English pig breeding herd was 1% down on December 2022 at 300,800.
The female breeding herd, which accounts for 79% of breeding pigs, saw a small increase of 0.7% to 239,000 in December 2023.
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