Big reduction in UK pig slaughtering/production 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 slaughtering was 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.
February pigmeat production was 21% lower than in February 2022 at 70,000 tonnes, the Defra figures show.
This compares with a January year-on-year reduction if 7%. Pig meat production volumes have followed the slaughter trend with a monthly decline of 11% to sit at 70,200 tonnes in February, 13% below the 5-year average.
The year on year decline in pigmeat production is larger, at 21%, due to average carcase weights being 5kg lighter (88.9kg) in 2023 than they were in 2022.
Alistair Driver | Pig World
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