UK pig production costs rising
There is still a gap between pig production costs in the UK and the EU, but it is narrowing.
The latest Cost of Production Report for BPEX, from AHDB Market Intelligence, shows UK costs rose by seven per cent while the European average was 12%.
Part of the reason for the narrowing of the gap was that feed prices started to rise in the UK earlier than elsewhere.
However, despite the higher relative cost of production in Great Britain, most aspects of physical performance did improve between 2010 and 2011.
The InterPIG report, which covers data from 2011, looks at costs in selected European countries together with Canada, Brazil and USA.
BPEX Head of Knowledge Transfer Andrew Knowles said: “We are improving year-on-year, but so is the rest of Europe and we need to close the gap faster.
“There is some good news for the industry in the report, but there are still challenges which need to be overcome.
“For example, the overall average number of pigs weaned per sow per year in the European InterPIG countries showed a two per cent increase in 2011, while there was a three per cent increase in pigs weaned per sow in Great Britain.
