Scottish agricultural survey: December 2016

7. Pigs

Year-on-year comparisons between 2015 and 2016 December Survey results show:

• An increase in the total number of pigs of 36,800 (11.1 per cent), up to 367,800. This was larger than the 3.9 per cent annual increase reported in the 2016 June Census results. The figure is 0.9 per cent larger than the ten year average of 364,500.
• An increase in breeding pigs of 500 (1.4 per cent) up to 37,800 - again, larger than the 0.4 per cent annual increase reported in the 2016 June Census results. The figure is 11 per cent higher than the ten year average of 33,900.

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There has been some restructuring in the industry resulting in larger numbers of weaners being fattened in Scotland rather than being moved to elsewhere in the UK.

Chart 08 shows trends over the past ten years for breeding pigs from the December Survey and June Census. After several years of decline, breeding pig figures increased between 2013 and 2015. 2016 saw a small year-on-year increase.

Chart 8: Breeding pigs, June and December 2006 to 2016