info Introduction to Pig Production

Pig production is a major component of UK livestock farming, supplying pork, bacon, breeding stock and valuable by-products. Modern pig units are highly specialised systems combining animal welfare, nutrition, genetics, housing design and environmental management.

Both indoor and outdoor systems operate in the UK. Indoor units focus on environmental control and efficiency, while outdoor systems emphasise natural behaviour and lower building costs. Regardless of system, good stockmanship, biosecurity and accurate record keeping are essential.

timelineDevelopment of UK Pig Farming

UK pig farming has undergone major structural change since the 1950s. Early systems were small scale and often part of mixed farms where pigs consumed household waste. Increasing costs, disease control requirements and international competition have driven consolidation into fewer, larger and more efficient units.

More recently there has been renewed interest in outdoor systems due to consumer demand for higher welfare pork and planning constraints on large indoor units.

petsPig Breeds

Modern UK production relies heavily on crossbreeding to maximise hybrid vigour, growth rate and litter size.

Commercial Breeds

• Landrace — long bodied, excellent maternal traits
• Large White — hardy and widely used in sow lines
• Duroc — strong growth and good meat quality
• Pietrain — very lean but linked to HAL stress gene
• Hampshire — popular terminal sire

Rare & Traditional Breeds

• Gloucester Old Spot — suited to outdoor systems
• Tamworth — excellent forager
• Middle White — hardy grazing pig
• Berkshire — premium meat quality
• British Saddleback — traditional outdoor breed

cyclePig Production Cycle

The pig production cycle is tightly managed to maximise litters per sow per year.

• Gestation: 3 months, 3 weeks, 3 days (114 days)
• Litter size: typically 10–12 piglets
• Weaning: 3–5 weeks
• Return to heat: 4–5 days post-weaning
• Target: 2+ litters per sow annually

Because pigs reproduce quickly and in large numbers, precision timing and good sow management are essential for profitability.

homePig Housing Systems

Indoor Systems

Indoor units use specialised buildings for each stage including sow housing, service areas, farrowing rooms, flat deck weaner systems and grower/finisher accommodation. Good ventilation, insulation and hygiene are critical.

Outdoor Systems

Outdoor pigs are kept in paddocks with huts or arcs. These systems work best on free-draining soils such as chalk or sand and require regular field rotation to control parasites and soil damage.

restaurantFeeding and Nutrition

Feed represents around 60–70% of total pig production costs. Pigs are monogastric omnivores and require highly digestible energy and balanced amino acids, particularly lysine.

Well-managed pigs should achieve daily liveweight gains rising from ~450 g/day in early growth to around 1 kg/day in finishing.

biotechBreeding & Gilt Management

Reproductive efficiency drives whole-farm performance. Most commercial units use artificial insemination to improve genetics and biosecurity.

• Select gilts with good teat number and sound structure
• Allow isolation/acclimatisation period (minimum 2 weeks)
• Detect standing heat accurately
• Monitor litter size and farrowing rate
• Control non-productive sow days

Correct gilt growth rate is important — overly fast growth can shorten productive lifetime.

monitoringKey Performance Indicators (KPIs)

KPIs allow farms to benchmark performance and identify problems early.

• Pigs weaned per sow/year (indoor): ~27.5
• Pigs weaned per sow/year (outdoor): ~23.6
• Pre-weaning mortality: 12–13%
• Litters per sow per year: ~2.25
• Feed Conversion Ratio: 1.35–1.65
• Finisher DLWG: often >1 kg/day

Accurate digital record keeping is increasingly important for farm assurance, veterinary audits and business planning.

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