Ireland's pig population fell by 8.64% in 2022.

National pig census 2022 reveals Ireland’s pig population drops to lowest number in five years.

The total number of pigs in Ireland decreased by 8.64% in 2022, dropping to a total of 1.64m head, the Department of Agriculture’s National Pig Census 2022 report shows.

The number of sows dropped by 6.18%, while the number of fattening pigs dropped by 8.86%.

The report provides an insight into pig farming in Ireland. The national herd consisted of 1,541 active herds in 2022.

A notable finding of the report is that 64.11% of active herds are made up of less than five pigs, totalling 1,444 pigs, which accounts for 0.1% of the population.

Just 43 herds keep in excess of 10,000 pigs but these 43 herds account for 42.8% of the Irish pig population. These statistics highlight the decline of the modest pig farmer and the continued intensification of pig farming in Ireland.