Canadian Hog Numbers Trend Lower

OTTAWA - Apr 26/07 - SNS -- Hog inventories maintained their recent downward trend during the first quarter of the current calendar year, according to Statistics Canada.

Farmers reported 14.1 million hogs on their farms as of April 1, 2007, according to a survey taken in March. This was down 1.5% from the fourth quarter of 2006 and 3.1% below the same date last year. Further, the first quarter data are 5.5% below the record established in July 2005.

Hog inventories in Eastern Canada as of April 1, 2007, stood at 7.9 million head, off 3.3% from the same time last year. Those in Western Canada fell 2.9% to 6.3 million head.

Hog prices continued to be soft as they have been since 2005, in part because of a stronger dollar. For example, the 2006 average price for hogs was 11.4% below the 2005 average and 18.7% less than 2004. More recent spikes in the price of feed grains will have an adverse impact on the bottom line of many hog producers.

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