While the number of sows in pig rose fractionally to 309,000 (0.3 per cent), gilts in pig fell by 12.6 per cent from 62,000 to 54,000.

Other sows also fell, by 6.8 per cent from 79,000 to 74,000 according to Defra's December 2007 statistics.

The total breeding herd has fallen by 2.8 per cent to 436,000 from 449,000.

The number of breeding boars has risen by more than 20 per cent, while the number of gilts expected for breeding fell by 18.5 per cent.

The total number of pigs in the EU has fallen by one per cent according to the Eurostat figures reported by Defra, with the 2007 total figure falling to 160,006,000 from 161,929,000.

The Polish herd has again fallen most sharply by six per cent and the number of breeding sows has fallen by 11 per cent.

Austria, the Netherlands and Sweden have seen the largest rise in their pig herds, with five per cent rise for Austria and four per cent for the other two nations.

The Danish herd once again saw a significant decline of three per cent and a four per cent drop in the number of breeding sows.

Across the EU the breeding sow herd has fallen by four per cent.

Germany has the largest herd in Europe with 17 per cent of the EU pigs. Spain has 16 per cent and France has nine per cent and Denmark eight per cent.

Although the Polish herd is falling in numbers, it still has 11 per cent of the EU pig herd.

Further Reading

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You can view the full report by clicking here.

June 2008