Malta - Pig stock down by 14.6% in Gozo and Comino, 14.8% in Malta

The pig stock declined by 14.8 per cent in 2008 compared to 2007, while the number of pigs slaughtered increased by 8.3 per cent. In December 2008, the pig population amounted to 65,511 heads, representing a decline of 14.8 per cent, or 11,389 pigs over 2007. The stock of piglets rose by 0.5 per cent, while stocks of young and fattening pigs fell by 21.2 and 22.0 per cent respectively. Breeding stock, which consists mainly of breeding sows, fell by 3.4 per cent when compared to 2007.