UK pig throughputs remain well below typical levels, amid suggestions from the trade that tight supplies, combined with rising EU prices could support the market over the coming weeks.
February UK clean pig slaughterings were down 1.4% on February 2023 at 766,000 head, although pigmeat production was 0.8% up year-on-year at 72,000 tonnes, due to higher carcase weights, official Defra monthly slaughter statistics show.
The February slaughter figure was down from 830,000 head in January, although a truer comparison, given the differing lengths of the two months is the average weekly kill. The February figure of 185,000 head per week was 2,000 below January and 9,000 (nearly 5%) below the February 2023 weekly average.
Carcase weights averaged 90.6kg during February, fractionally down on January, but well up on February 2023, pushing overall production above year-earlier levels by close to 1%.
Sow and boar slaughter numbers, at 18,000, were 17% up on February 2023 levels.
With supplies remaining tight relative to demand, and the price EU pigmeat rising, the UK pig has stabilised of late – the latest SPP was 211.5p, which, after three weekly rises in the past four week, is just 1.3p below the figure for the first week of the year.
Given that the ongoing historically low slaughter numbers are coming at a time of rising EU prices, analysts predict that the pig price could start to edge higher over the next few weeks.