According to BPEX's UK Pig Meat Market Update, improvement in herd productivity was the main driver that led to an increase of 6 per cent in clean pig slaughterings during 2011. This is the highest level recorded in the last nine years.

Pigs were marketed earlier due to high feed costs. This led to little change in the average carcase weight of clean pigs. However, this resulted in a temporary cutoff in the steady upward trend of previous years.

During the month of December, producers tend to market pigs before the holiday season, and as a result, clean pig carcase weights tend to decline. The December 2011 reduction was lower than usual, so the average carcase weight was higher compared to December 2010.

UK imports of fresh and frozen pork during November 2011 was one per cent higher than in November 2010. The value of imports rose by as much as 14 per cent as prices were significantly higher.

Imports of fresh and frozen pork during the first eleven months of 2011 also rose by 3 per cent compared to the same months of 2010. The growth was driven by imports from Denmark, Germany and France. However, the Netherlands and Belgium shipped substantially lower volumes in comparison.

Exports of fresh and frozen pork from the UK during November 2011 was 18 per cent lower compared to the same month the previous year. Hong Kong was the country's largest market, taking in 22 per cent of pork exports. On the other hand, exports to EU countries dropped by more than 30 per cent compared to a year earlier.

Further Reading

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You can view the BPEX UK Pig Meat Market Update by clicking here.