Canadian Hog Statistics - Fourth Quarter 2009
By Statistics Canada. Canada's January hog inventory is the lowest it has been in twelve years. Also, a steady decline in the country's breeding herd has been marked since 2005.
17 February 2010
4 minute read
Highlights
- On 1 January, Canadian hog producers had an estimated 11.6 million hogs on their farms, down 4.5 per cent from January 2009.
- Since January 2009 there has been a 4.3 per cent decrease in the breeding herd, mainly sows and gilts. The inventory of sows is estimated at 1.3 million head.
- During 2009, total hog exports amounted to 6.4 million head, down 31.9 per cent from 2008.
- Slaughter levels in Canada have been increasing since 2007, but are still below the peak of 22.9 million head reached in 2004. In 2009, slaughter reached 21.8 million head.
Analysis
As of 1 January 2010, farm inventories of cattle reached their lowest level in 15 years, while inventories of hogs were at a 12-year low.
Canadian cattle producers reported 13.0 million head on 1 January 2010, down 1.3 per cent from January 2009. Hog producers had an estimated 11.6 million hogs on their farms, down 4.5 per cent.
The number of sheep on Canadian farms also declined between 1 January 2009 and 1 January 2010. The total sheep inventory fell 0.2 per cent to 806,600 head. The slaughter of sheep in Canada remained unchanged from levels a year ago.
| Table 1: Hog inventories on 1 January 2010 | ||||
| Hogs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2009 to 2010 | |
| thousands of head | percentage change | |||
| Canada | 13,810 | 12,180 | 11,630 | -4.5 |
| Atlantic | 256.0 | 160.5 | 125.7 | -21.7 |
| Quebec | 3,990 | 3,900 | 3,800 | -2.6 |
| Ontario | 3,652.0 | 3,104.5 | 2,868.3 | -7.6 |
| Manitoba | 2,810 | 2,499 | 2,451 | -1.9 |
| Saskatchewan | 1,180.0 | 810.0 | 780.0 | -3.7 |
| Alberta | 1,800 | 1,590 | 1,505 | -5.3 |
| British Columbia | 122.0 | 116.0 | 100.0 | -13.8 |
Hog inventories hit a 12-year low
On 1 January, Canadian hog producers had an estimated 11.6 million hogs on their farms, down 4.5 per cent from January 2009. The January hog inventory is the lowest it has been in twelve years.
The Canadian breeding herd has also been declining steadily since 2005. Since January 2009 there has been a 4.3 per cent decrease in the breeding herd, mainly sows and gilts. The inventory of sows, estimated at 1.3 million head, is at a level not seen since 2000. Sows expected to farrow in Canada during the first and second quarters of 2010 are down 4.5 per cent and 3.2 per cent respectively from the same periods one year prior.
In 2009, the number of hog farms in Canada continued to decline to 7,360. At the same time, the average number of hogs per operation increased from 1,482 to 1,580 on 1 January 2010. Despite the decline in hog inventory, the pace of decline is at a slower rate than in the previous two years.
On 15 August 2009, the Government of Canada announced a restructuring programme for hog producers. It includes creation of a loan loss reserve fund for hog producers, a marketing fund and a transition program to help producers leave the industry. The Hog Farm Transition Programme, similar to the Cull Swine Programme in 2008, facilitates the reduction of Canada’s swine herd.
Slaughter levels in Canada have been increasing since 2007 but are still below the peak of 22.9 million head reached in 2004. In 2009, slaughter reached 21.8 million head.
During 2009, total hog exports amounted to 6.4 million head, down 31.9 per cent from 2008. This was well below the peak of 10.0 million head in 2007. Last year’s decline may be in part reflected by structural changes in Canadian hog production, as well as the implementation of the US Country of Origin Labelling (COOL) regulations. Border closures due to concerns surrounding the H1N1 flu also affected exports of pork and live hogs in 2009.
Further Reading
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- | You can view the full report by clicking here. |
February 2010
