July UK clean pig slaughterings were down 3.2% on July 2024 at 859,000 head, while pigmeat production was 4.8% lower at 78,000 tonnes, according to Defra’s latest monthly slaughter statistics.
For most of this year, UK pig supplies have been trending above 2024. However, the July figure clean pig slaughter figure was 29,000 head below the same month in 2024.
The July 2025 weekly average of 194,000 pigs slaughtered per week compares with 200,000 head/week in July 2024 and is slightly below the June 2025 figure of 198 head/week, although it is higher than the May figure of 193,000 head/week.
Breaking the July 2025 figure down within the UK, 683,000 clean pigs were slaughtered in England and Wales, 19,000 in Scotland and 157,000 in Northern Ireland.
According to the Defra data, average carcase weights in July, at 87.9kg, were well down on the July 2024 figure of 90.1kg and the May (90.5kg) and June (90kg) 2025 figures. This made a significant contribution to the 4.8% year-on-year reduction in pigmeat production in July.
July Sow and boar slaughterings, at around 17,000, were 1.5% down year on on year.
The figures also show an 8% year-on-year reduction in beef production to 71,000 tonnes in July and a 10% rise in sheepmeat production to 21,000 tonnes.