England’s pig breeding herd grew in size in the 12 months to June 2026, according to Defra’s latest census figures. However, the department’s monthly slaughter figures point to a decline over the second half of this year and, possibly, beyond.
The June census figures showed breeding pig numbers in England rose by 2.8% to 322,000 head in the year to June 2026, with, it must be noted, a fairly wide confidence interval of +/–13,300 head,
In-pig sows were up 3.9% to 184,000 head, while in-pig gilts were up 8.1% to 28,000 head, but sows being suckled or kept for further breeding were down 2.1% to 34,000 head. Gilts intended for further breeding were up 0.5% to 68,000 head.
If accurate, this appears to reflect a move by producers, likely corporates and independents, to increase sow numbers last year.
Anecdotal evidence of the number of producers reducing their herds or getting out of pigs altogether, reinforced by official Defra data, suggests the trend will be reversed going forward, however.
Over the first eight months of the year, sow and boar slaughterings in England were up 5.8% to 126,000 head. The UK figure was up 9.7% year on year to 143,000 head, partly driven by a massive 51% increase to 17,000 head in Scotland. No figure was published for Northern Ireland.
UK sow slaughterings have accelerated as the year has gone on – the August figure, at 18,000 head, was up 21% year on year.
The census figures always come with a degree of uncertainty. Industry analyst Mick Sloyan suggested the June 2026 increase might actually reflect an underestimate of the true size of the English breeding herd in the June 2025 census. Subsequent throughput figures would reinforce this theory, he said.
Fattening pig numbers
Total pig numbers in England increased by 3.4% to 3.8 million animals between June 2025 and June 2026, the census shows.
Fattening pigs rose by 3.4% to 3.5 million head (with a large confidence interval of +/–238,000 head), driven by an 11.4% increase in suckling pig numbers to 435,000 and a 9.3% rise in young pigs (under 30kg) to 1.06 million head. However, older fattening pigs (above 29kg), the biggest category, were down 1% to 1.96 million head.
Clean pig slaughterings in England over the first eight months of 2026, at 5.6 million head, were 4.1% higher year on year, Defra figures show.
UK slaughterings were up by 2.9% to just over 7 million head during the period, with throughputs in Scotland 5.6% up, at 158,000 head, but 2.1% down in Northern Ireland, at 1.27 million head.
UK pigmeat production, at 670,000t, was up 4.9% year on year in the year to August, also driven by significantly higher carcase weights, which averaged just below 90kg in August.