AHDB 2021 Outlook - production to top 1m tonnes, but prices under pressure
1st Feb 2021 / By Alistair Driver
UK pork production is set exceed 1 million tonnes for the first time since 1999 this year, but the market will remain difficult, according to the latest pork outlook from AHDB.
AHDB is forecasting a 4% rise in UK pig meat production to 1.02mt in 2021, driven by a 3% increase in slaughtering and a 1% increase in carcase weights.
With domestic demand expected to fall and high levels of uncertainty in the market, due to plentiful EU supplies and difficult trading relations with the EU, pig prices are expected to remain under pressure, while declines are anticipated in both import and export volumes.
UK pigmeat production increased by 2.8% to reach 984,300 tonnes in 2020, driven mainly by higher carcase weights, which increased by 2kg, 2.5%, to average 86.9kg, well above the 5-year average and the highest level on record.
For more on this story, see Pig World