Hard Times for Pig Sector
CZECH REPUBLIC - Numbers of all pigs are down sharply, particularly in the breeding herd, and the country is becoming more dependent on imports of pigs and pork.According to EU Market Survey from the UK's Agricultural and Horticultural Development Board, there were 24 per cent fewer breeding sows on farms this August, including 19 per cent fewer in-pig gilts, compared to August 2007. Total pig numbers were down nearly 17 per cent compared to a year earlier.
From January to September of 2008, four per cent fewer pigs were slaughtered than in the same period of 2007.
The country is becoming increasingly dependent of imports of live pigs and pig meat. For the first nine months of 2008, more than 600,000 pigs were imported – four times the number imported during the same period last year.
While more pork was imported from traditional sources (particularly Germany), considerably less was imported from Poland, where there also has been a large reduction of pig producers.