BPEX: Stablility seen in pig sector

BPEX Senior Analyst James Park said though there now seemed to be some stability in the herd that was only part of the picture.

 

The total number of pigs in England decreased by 1.7% from 3.6 million in December 2009 to 3.5 million in 2010.

 

But there was no real change in the number of breeding pigs at 415,000 in December 2010.

An 18,000 head reduction in sows in-pig was offset by a 7,000 head increase in gilts in-pig and an 8,000 increase in other sows.

 

James said: “The census results indicate that, year on year, the breeding herd remained stable in December 2010 with a continuation of increased numbers of gilts in-pig and other sows offsetting the decline in the sows in-pig population.

 

“However, these results do not reflect the consequences for the industry of rocketing feed costs and falling prices since last August.”