UK pig feed production 2024/25 - declines, recovery and the road ahead: Grain market daily

• UK feed wheat futures (Nov-25) continued their downward trend hitting a contract low of £166.55/t, down £0.70/t (-0.4%)
• Domestic futures followed global markets, which also hit contract lows. Paris milling wheat (Dec-25) closed at €193.75/t down €1.75/t (-0.9%). Chicago wheat futures (Dec-25) were down 0.7%. Pressure comes from ongoing surveys of the corn belt confirming high yield prospects delivering an expected record US maize crop for 2025
• Paris rapeseed futures (Nov-25) were down €2.25/t to close at €472.75/t. The latest figures published by the European Commission confirm a decline in imported volumes since the start of the campaign, both for soyabean and rapeseed, compared to the same period last year
• Chicago soyabeans (Nov-25) moved down 0.7%. Ongoing US crop surveys point to mixed soyabean yield prospects, with some areas showing improvement on last year while others lag behind

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UK pig feed production 2024/25 – declines, recovery and the road ahead

Feed costs remain the dominant factor in pig production, making up 61% of total costs in Q2 2025. This reinforces the need for pig producers to watch feed market developments closely.

Feed demand

UK pig feed production fell 3.4% year-on-year in 2024/25 (Jul–Jun), a steeper drop than the 1.4% decline across the wider feed market.

The first part of the season reflected a smaller breeding herd, but signs of growth emerged in the second half of 2024, with starter and creep feed up 15.4% and early grower feed rising 9.7% year-on-year.

By spring 2025, production of breeding compounds edged above year-earlier levels on a month-by-month basis, though volumes for the season remained down year-on-year.

In contrast, pig finishing compounds, which make up the largest share of pig feed, fell by 3.8% across the season, weighing heavily on overall output.

Herd growth in 2025 has supported this renewed feed demand, in line with the pork market outlook, which projects the breeding herd to rise by 3% to around 337,000 sows and pig meat production to increase by about 2.8%.

Feed costs

Feed costs remained a defining factor for producer returns in 2024/25. In Q3 2024, easing cereal prices reduced ration costs and helped lift margins to around £19 per head, though compound feed prices proved relatively sticky compared with raw materials.

By Q1 2025, feed prices rose, driving down margins to just £1 per pig. In Q2 2025, feed costs fell to 120p/kg, accounting for about 61% of production costs, helping margins recover to £8.10 per head.

Falling wheat futures, dipping below £170/t, point to further cost relief for pig producers, but the stickiness of compound feed prices could temper the full benefit for producers.

Looking ahead

Together, margin improvements, a recovering breeding herd and softer feed markets all point to stronger feed demand heading into the 2025/26 season.

Growth in breeder and young pig diets in late 2024 and 2025 already hints at renewed confidence.

If compound feed prices continue to track lower in line with cereals prices, producers could see sustained cost relief, reinforcing herd expansion and driving feed usage higher in the year ahead.

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