The UK produced more pig meat than beef in 2015 for the first time since 2003, according to latest figures from Defra.
Pig meat production increased by over 4 per cent in 2015, to almost 900,000 tonnes, the fastest growth since 2011. Growth was slightly slower in the second half of the year but December’s output of 68,900 tonnes was still 3 per cent higher than a year earlier.
The higher production was mainly due to a near 4 per cent rise in clean pig slaughterings, with the total of just over 10.6 million head the highest since 2000.
The UK figure for December was boosted by a 12 per cent annual rise in the Northern Irish kill and a 7 per cent increase in Scotland; English slaughterings only grew by 1 per cent compared with a year earlier.
Annual change in UK clean pig slaughterings
Source: DEFRA
Following strong growth in 2014, carcase weights were only slightly heavier in 2015, averaging 81.3kg.
Sow throughputs for the year as a whole totalled 244,400 head, 1 per cent more than in 2014.
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