According to official figures, pork production in the UK increased by 15% last month to 97,900 tons. A combination of factors contributed to the growth. Net slaughter of pigs increased by 12% to 1.06 million heads. This indicates that the industry has overcome the backlog that formed towards the end of last year.
“This is slightly earlier than we expected in the forecast and means that the increase in slaughter levels that we forecast in the second quarter is now likely to be lower than our forecast. Breeding performance also came in below expectations at the end of 2020, which could slow supply growth again in the coming weeks,” said Bethan Wilkins, Senior Analyst at Red MEAT, AHDB.
Slaughter rates were highest in England and Wales, where 14% more pigs were sent for slaughter compared to March 2020. Growth in Scotland was 7%, and in Northern Ireland - 5%.
In the meantime, the Scottish and Northern Ireland governments have decided to introduce support packages to mitigate COVID-19- related losses that are putting pressure on pig producers. This problem is occurring across the UK, but so far only the governments of Scotland and Northern Ireland have stepped up support measures. Pig producers in England are still demanding similar action from the authorities.