This compares with the rest of the EU at £1.34/kg deadweight, a 14 per cent decrease in sterling terms compared to 2013, according to the 2014 Pig Cost of Production in Selected Countries.

However, the overall average number of pigs weaned per sow per year in the European countries showed a two per cent increase in 2014, up from 26.06 in 2013 to 26.53, with Denmark achieving 30.0 for a second time.

There was also a two per cent increase in pigs weaned per sow in Great Britain to 24.09 overall. Indoor sow production achieved 25.7, an increase of three per cent compared to 2013.

The main reason Great Britain has a below average number of pigs weaned per sow lies in the number of pigs born alive per litter with Great Britain still performing below the EU average of 13.2.

The 2014 Great Britain average at 12.1 (indoor sows 12.6, outdoor sows 11.2) was an increase compared to 11.87 in 2013.

The report also looked at feed prices which were lower in 2014 than in 2013, falling by 16 per cent on average across the EU countries.

In 2014 as a whole, EU feed costs per kg fell by 17 per cent compared with a year earlier, in sterling terms. The fall in Great Britain was 19 per cent, one of the greatest drops in the EU.

Great Britain produced an average of 1.82 tonnes of carcase meat per sow in 2014, three per cent higher than in 2013 due to a combination of the increase in the number of pigs finished per sow and an increase in finishing weight.

AHDB Pork Knowledge Transfer lead Steve Winfield said: “The areas where GB is falling behind its counterparts are those where the AHDB Pork KT Team is focusing to help businesses close the production gap.

“The three main areas are achieving +1 pig weaned, increase FCR by 0.1 and ALDWG by 50g/day with the overall aim of selling more pigs more efficiently.

“Within the team we have a range of services available to help businesses, delivered by our managers, who all have significant experience in the industry.

“Our on-farm reviews are our most popular service, often described as a fresh set of eyes to look at the business. These reviews are obviously aimed at highlighting ways to improve performance.

“While we all focus on ensuring that we get as many pigs sold as we can, we should pay some attention to the fact that we are still just over a pig born below the EU average. Clearly we have a range of systems and genetics and often performance can be improved by better management practices.”