Somewhat surprisingly, UK clean pig slaughterings were down 1.7% year-on-year in May, at 842,000 head, although pigmeat production, at 80,000 tonnes, was fractionally (0.3%) higher than in May 2025 on the back of higher carcase weights.Â
The May slaughter figure was well down on the 927,000 head recorded in March and the 892,000 head in April. Taking the more comparable weekly slaughter figure, the 190,000 head slaughtered per week in May compared with 193,000 in May 2025, 209,000 in March 2026 and 208,000 in April.
Breaking it down within the UK, 666,000 head were slaughtered in England and Wales, well down on the 749,000 head in March and 714,000 head in April; 23,000 head were slaughtered in Scotland, up on March and April, and 153,000 in Northern Ireland, down on March and April.
Sow and boar slaughterings were up 5.2% year-on-year at around 17,000 head.
The year-on-year reduction in clean pig slaughtering in May follows the 3% year-on-year increase recorded in April and a 2.3% increase across Q1. It also appears to contradict AHDB estimated GB slaughterings that were significantly higher year-on-year throughout May.
The reduction might be a partly a reflection that the backlog that persisted throughout the early months of this year is now largely under control.
Further evidence of this is the notable reduction in carcase weights in May, which at 92.2kg, compared with 94.3kg in February and 93.6kg in March and April. The May figure was still above year-earlier levels, however.