Poor Prices Cause UK Pig Herd to Shrink
UK - The national pig herd is starting to shrink already. An NPA survey has shown that ten per cent of production will disappear by Christmas, unless prices improve.
3 September 2012
2 minute read
By: In July, when the cost of feed wheat increased by more than 25 per cent, and soya increased by even more, some producers took an early decision that these high costs were unsustainable and started culling sows.
26,000 sows and boars were culled in England and Wales in July, an increase of 7,000 on a month earlier. These Defra figures tally exactly with the number of sows that NPA knew to have left the industry in July.
Current NPA intelligence indicates that when the August stats are available they will show an ongoing upward trend in sow slaughterings.
Market Trends
The latest Pig Market Trends produced by AHDB Market Intelligence reports: UK slaughterings and production remain high in July and early August.
Sow cullings in July were up by a quarter on July 2011 as some producers de?stock due to high feed costs.
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Further ReadingYou can view the full report by clicking here. |
