NPA demands more from supply chain and government
The National Pig Association (NPA) has called on the supply chain and government to “do more to support pig producers”, as new data shows the extent to which the industry has been contracting over the past 12-months.
New data from smart software firm AgroVision shows evidence of how pig industry contraction will soon start to affect pig supplies. The latest figures confirm significant reductions in sow numbers and weaners coming into the system on a weekly basis, compared with last year.
AgroVision recorded 373,000 weaners in April 2022, compared with 482,000 a year earlier, a substantial 23% drop, continuing a downward trend since the start of the year. The three-month rolling average shows a steady, virtually uninterrupted decline from a monthly average of 479,000 in September 2021 to 406,000 in April.
Based on services, AgroVision is forecasting further declines in weaner numbers in May and June.
Between April and November 2021, the number of sows on UK farms was relatively stable, at around 206,000 to 208,000 sows. The figures show that there have been seven consecutive months of decline since September, with the rate accelerating since November, including a reduction of 14,000 between February and April.
The number of herds recorded also fell from 263 in April 2021 to 221 a year later, again following a steady decline since the autumn.
From surplus to shortage
The NPA said that the data appeared to confirm that when backlogs of pigs on farms are cleared, the industry will be “rapidly heading from surplus to shortage.”
It said: “If these figures are truly reflective nationally, 20% falls in services and weaners produced could result in a drop of more than a million pigs a year going through our supply chains. This is at a time when the EU price is also relatively high and EU herds are also contracting.
“Meanwhile, despite price increases that have recently seen the SPP top 180p/kg for the first time ever, producers continue to lose large amounts of money on a weekly basis, as costs soar higher to average 240p/kg in May.”
More support needed
NPA chief executive Zoe Davies said: “The AgroVision data should send out a message to our supply chain and government about the huge impact of this ongoing crisis so far on our production capacity, on top of the financial, emotional and animal welfare strain producers have been suffering.
“At a time when food security is under the spotlight, we do not want to see our production capacity eroded to the point where we are almost entirely reliant on imports.
“That is why we continue to call for all parts of the supply chain to play their part in putting prices up and for the government to provide some proper support, so we can stem this decline in UK pork production.”
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