According to the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), pork production totalled 250,600 tonnes in the second quarter of 2026.
This was 2% lower than in the first quarter, but 4.8% higher than in April–June 2025.
Overall, production reached 507,400 tonnes in the first six months of the year, 5.1% above last year’s level, indicating ample pork supplies on the domestic market.
The positive trend continued in July. Monthly production increased by around 500 tonnes, or 0.5%, compared with June. Year on year, output rose by almost 4,000 tonnes, or 5%.
Pig Slaughter Also Increased
In July, 909,100 clean pigs were slaughtered in the UK, excluding sows and boars. This was 18,400 head, or 2.1%, more than in June.
Across the whole of the second quarter, clean pig slaughter totalled around 2.6 million head, 2.7% higher than in the same period of 2025.
In the first half of 2026, total slaughter reached 5.2 million head, up 2.5% year on year.
Regional trends, however, varied.
In England and Wales, slaughter in the second quarter increased by 3%, or 66,400 head, accounting for around 80% of the UK total.
In Northern Ireland, the number of pigs slaughtered declined by 2%, or 9,400 head, with the region accounting for around 18% of the total.
In Scotland, slaughter rose sharply by 20%, or 11,100 head, although the region’s share of the UK total remains relatively small at around 3%.
In addition, sow and boar slaughter increased by 11%, or around 5,500 head, in the second quarter compared with the same period last year.
Heavier Carcases Were an Important Factor
One of the main drivers of higher pork production was increased average slaughter weight.
In the second quarter, the average clean pig carcase weight was 92 kg, 1.7 kg heavier than a year earlier.
Over the past six months, the average reached 93.1 kg, compared with 90.8 kg in the same period of 2025. This represents an increase of around 2%.
However, the trend reversed in July, when the average carcase weight fell below 90 kg to 88.5 kg.
This was 6.2 kg below the January peak and 0.8 kg lower than in July last year.
Hot Weather and Normalisation of Processing Reduced Weights
According to AHDB, the earlier increase in carcase weights was partly linked to delays at processing plants, which kept pigs on farms for longer and allowed them to gain additional weight.
These delays have now largely been resolved, reducing upward pressure on carcase weights.
Heatwaves were another factor, negatively affecting pig growth rates. AHDB sample data on deadweight pig prices indicate that the impact of high temperatures on growth persisted throughout July and into the first part of August.
Despite the decline in average carcase weight in July, overall first-half 2026 figures remain above last year’s levels, with the UK sector recording both higher slaughter numbers and increased pork production.
PigUA.info, based on data from Defra and AHDB