Inside Pigs
Pig stock in America is increasing again
The pig herd in the United States has increased by 3% in recent months, which means that the growth of the pig herd is continuing inexorably. This is according to a new quarterly report from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
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The US pig herd has increased since the census in June increased by 3% to 77,7 million animals, the new figures from the USDA show. Compared to the count in September last year, the pig herd in the United States also increased by 3%. The number of pigs for slaughter increased by 4% to 71,2 million and the number of breeding pigs increased by 2% to 6,4 million animals.
On the other hand, the number of sows that gave birth fell by 1% to 3,18 million. This also means that the number of live born piglets per litter has increased. That number increased from 10,72 piglets per litter in September last year to 11,11 piglets this year. The expectation from the Ministry of Agriculture is that this number will decrease slightly between September and November.
Volatile pig prices
The ministry also reports in the quarterly report that American pork prices have been very volatile. Optimism surrounding possible breakthroughs in the trade war with China regularly caused an upsurge, but those talks often ultimately led to nothing. As a result, the pig price fell sharply again.