Scotland's pig breeding herd suffered one of its sharpest contractions in recent years during 2025, with new figures suggesting further declines may lie ahead.
The latest QMS Red Meat Industry Profile shows Scotland’s female breeding herd, comprising sows and gilts in pig, fell by almost 11% to 25,617 in June 2025. The number of gilts retained for future breeding plunged by 42%, and when both groups are combined, the total number of female breeding pigs fell by 17%.
At the same time, breeding has become increasingly concentrated.
Just 30 Scottish farms with more than 250 sows now account for 84% of the national sow herd, with those businesses averaging more than 700 sows each.
Processing is becoming just as concentrated.
Almost 99.4% of Scotland's pig slaughter is now carried out by just four large abattoirs, leaving the sector heavily exposed to disruption should processing capacity be lost.
Around 55 per cent of Scottish-born pigs sent directly for slaughter during 2025 were processed in England, meaning much of the value generated by Scottish pig producers leaves the country before processing.
Although Scotland produces enough pigs at farm level to exceed domestic demand, Scottish abattoirs produce only enough pigmeat to meet around 24% of Scottish consumption, illustrating the scale of the processing gap.
Market conditions deteriorated sharply during the second half of 2025.
A backlog of pigs on farms, combined with highly competitive European pork prices and falling export opportunities, pushed finished pig prices lower and squeezed producer margins.
The report warns these conditions could trigger further contraction in the breeding herd unless profitability improves.
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