Irish breeding pig numbers fall to lowest since '88
Pig farmers pictured during a protest in Dublin City Centre last March calling for higher prices for Irish pig meat. Picture: Finbarr O’Rourke
The number of breeding pigs in the country has fallen to its lowest level since 1988, with just 127,500 recorded in the CSO's livestock survey as the pig farmers faced their toughest year in a generation, with some exiting the sector.
Year-on-year, the numbers of breeding pigs and non-breeding pigs dropped by 12.6% and 8%, respectively, with the largest drop in the non-breeding pigs less than 20kg category (down by 63,800).
