UK clean pig slaughterings in April were up 6.8% on April 2023 at 819,000 head, Defra’s latest official UK slaughter statistics show.
Pigmeat production, at 77,000 tonnes, 8.2% higher than in April 2023, further boosted by higher carcase weights.
Average weekly slaughterings, at 191,000, a more accurate measure of recently monthly comparisons, were 4% up on March 2024 but 2.5% down on February.
The April figure, which doesn’t tally with AHDB’s weekly GB estimates, bucks the trend of recent monthly year-on-year declines in UK slaughter numbers. But whether it marks the state of a small recovery in throughputs remains to be seen.
Comparison of Defra’s UK April figure with previous years provides more context, as to where the industry stands following the breeding herd contraction. The very low April 2023 UK figure of 767,000 head was 17% down on April 2022 (922,000) and 19% down on the April 2021 figure (949,000).
There is no indication of any year on year increase on a GB level in AHDB’s GB slaughterings for May, which remain well down on 2023 in recent weeks. The figure for the week ended May 18 was up 10,000 on the previous week’s very low figure at 151,638, but remained 12,000 down on the same week a year ago and 40,000 below the 2022 figure.
Industry figures involved in marketing pigs say supplies remain tight, with supply and demand just about in line.