Fewer pigs slaughtered in the United States

The United States slaughtered 2.1 percent fewer hogs between January and October than at the same time last year. The supply of pigs is less, but the shortage of employees also affects pig farmers.

Figures from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) show that 11.08 million pigs were slaughtered in October. This is 932,000 fewer animals than in the same month of 2020, a decrease of 7.8%. Due to the lower slaughter weights, pork production fell further to 8.7 percent.

From January to October 2021, 106.8 million pigs have been slaughtered in the United States to date. A decrease of a total of 2.29 million animals (-2.1 percent) compared to last year. During this period, pork production fell 2.2 percent to 10.37 million tonnes. This negative trend does not seem to be in sight.

Production drop

Washington calculated that for the whole of 2021, pork production would be 2.2% lower at 12.55 million tonnes. Assuming production decline in the fourth quarter would be 4.3 percent. However, it was almost twice as high in October.

In addition to the smaller pig population, the ministry also cited labor shortages as the reason for the current decline in pig production. This is also noticeable in stocks. At the end of October, those of the United States amounted to 199,410 tons. This is 1.7% less than at the end of October 2020.