UK Pig Industry Flashcards
UK Pig Industry
10.6 m pigs slaughtered (1997 14m)
• Consumption Pig Meat 25.1 kg/head/yr • 55% Self Sufficient (1997 – 76%)
• Trend to large integrated Businesses
• 408,000 Sows (1997 - 800,000) • 45% of these are on outdoor unit
GB Slaughter Facilities
Trending towards Integrated multisite production chains: Feed, production, slaughter,processing all in the same company
Eg. BQP/Dalehead/Pilgrim’s Pride (ex Tulip) & Cranswick run six of the large pig abattoirs.
Integrated multisite production chains
Eg BQP/Dalehead/Pilgrim’s Pride (ex Tulip)
• 50,000+ Outdoor Sows
• Sows and finishers on 500 contracted sites • EgStockcroft
• Over 1 million finished pigs produced • 35% of UK slaughter capacity
• £1 billion Turnover
• 6000 employees
Indoor 55% of Sows
- Average herd size 400-500 sows
- Dry sows loose housed on straw
- Lactating sows in farrowing stalls or pens
- Finishing pigs housed on slats or straw
- Quality Assured through the Red Tractor Standards that are UK + standards
Outdoor 45% of sows
- Average herd size 700-800 sows
- Same production cycle as indoors
- Dry sows grouped in paddocks (20-40 sows)
- Lactating sows individual paddock with arc
- Post weaning outdoor pigs are finished indoors on straw based systems
- Majority are quality assured through the Freedom Foods
Organic (0.5% of Sows)
- All sows in paddocks and arcs
- Free Range Postweaning
- Long Lactation 6-8 weeks
- All feed organic approved ingredients
- Two Quality Standards:
- UKRegisterofOrganicFoodStandards(UKROFS) • Soil Association
