Clean pig slaughterings in March were 10% down on a year ago, the latest official Defra UK slaughter figures show.
A total 805,000 clean pigs were slaughtered in the UK in March, compared with 894,000 in March 2023. UK pigmeat production was 8.6%, 75,000 tonnes, lower than in March 2023, as carcase weights averaged 90.4kg, slightly down on February.
Average weekly slaughter numbers in March, at 182,000 head, were also 10% down on a year earlier and were 5% down on the weekly average for February.
The March deficit follows a 1.4% year-on-year reduction in UK slaughter numbers in February, which translated into a 5% fall in the weekly average.
The number of sows and boars slaughtered in March, 16,000, was 8.9% down on March 23.
The lower throughput numbers over the opening months of 2024 reflect the ongoing impact of the contraction of the UK pig breeding herd in 2022, which has showed little sign of recovery since, and reports of recent productivity issues resulting from the relentless wet weather and some disease issues.
The shortfall in throughputs is continuing into April. AHDB’s estimated GB slaughterings for the week ended April 6, the second of the two short Easter weeks, were 9,000 down on the previous week at 134,181. This was 16,000 below the same week a year ago, and more than 60,000 below the 2022 figure, when extra kills were taking place to get through the backlog.