On the 1 April 2018, Denmark’s pig herd increased by 4% compared to year-earlier levels, reaching a total of 12.7 million head, the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board’s (AHDB) reports.
Rebecca Oborne, analyst at AHDB, said that the number of pigs in Denmark has been on the rise over the past year, the number of sows reaching 1.3 million head with an increase of 3% during the mentioned period.
Oborne says there have been increases across all sow categories, “with the number of maiden and in-pig gilts up by 5% each while the number of in-pig sows increased by a more modest 2%.”
It is expected that producers will increase their sow numbers based on strong pig prices reported throughout 2017. Oborne said that compared to three months prior, the total number of breeding sows increased by 1%.
The number of pigs weighing over 50kg and intended for slaughter increased by 8% year-on-year, although down 1% on 1 January numbers.
The AHDB analyst explained that this decline on the previous quarter was not necessarily un-surprising considering recent slaughter trends and higher production in the first quarter. Reflecting the growth in breeding sows, the number of piglets was up 6% on-the-year and 2% on 1 January figures, to 5.8 million.
