Sign of pig herd recovery in China as breeding sow numbers rise
- Total decline slows but industry battles to fend off epidemic of African swine fever
- Farms registers first monthly increase in sows in more than a year
The decline in the pig herd was also slowing, said Yang Zhenhai, director of the animal husbandry and veterinary bureau under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.
The epidemic has cut the country’s huge pig herd by more than 40 per cent, sending pork prices and food inflation soaring.
Yang said the pig herd fell by 0.6 per cent in October, easing from a 3 per cent fall the previous month and the smallest month-on-month contraction in a year. He did not disclose the year-on-year decline in October but in September it had dropped 41 per cent on the year.
While some analysts have described official numbers as conservative, the ministry figures would still equate to a decline of around 175 million pigs in the national herd.
Dutch firm Rabobank has estimated the herd will be 55 per cent smaller by the end of this year, while others in the industry believe it could be even smaller.