January UK clean pig slaughterings were up 4.5% on January 2024 at 868,000 head, while pigmeat production, at 82,000 tonnes, was 4.6% higher year on year, according to the latest Defra statistics.
Defra’s UK clean pig slaughterings for 2024 showed a 2.8% increase on 2023 to 10.3m, with the December figure 10% up year on year.
The trend continued in January, with the January slaughter figure comparing to 830,000 head in January 2025 and 852,000 in December.
The weekly average number of clean pigs slaughtered in January, 196,000 head, was 4.8% up on January 2024 and 2.1% up on December.
Breaking down the UK January slaughter figure, 711,000 clean pigs were slaughtered in England and Wales, 24,000 were slaughtered in Scotland and 133,000 in Northern Ireland.
Carcase weights averaged 91kg in January, up from 88.5kg in December and slightly higher than January 2024.
The number of sows and boars slaughtered in January, at 18,000, was 11% lower than the 21,000 figures of January 2024.
AHDB’s estimated GB slaughterings for the first few weeks of this year have been significantly ahead of year-earlier levels. The figure for the week ended February 8, 182,100 head 22,000 above 2024 levels and 27,000 above 2023.
These estimates are often subject to significant revision, following publication of Defra’s monthly UK figures, however.