Continued Decline: Canadian Swine Herd Shrinks Further in 2024

Apr 08, 2024

The contraction of the Canadian swine herd persists into 2024. Despite higher-than-expected sow productivity in 2023, larger slaughter and export figures have led to a decrease of 140,000 head in the beginning hog inventory compared to the previous year. To put this into perspective, the Canadian swine herd had already shrunk by 265,000 head between January 2022 and January 2023. In another indication of this trend, the beginning sow stocks display a two percent reduction in the sow herd at the start of 2024, marking the lowest January 1 sow numbers since 2015. Additionally, there has been a two percent decline in the number of farms reporting hogs compared to January 1, 2023, suggesting a continued exodus of producers from the industry. This ongoing consolidation is further underscored by a slight increase in the average number of animals on remaining operations.

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Video: Environmental Effects on Sow Fertility - Dr. Isabela Bez

In this special episode celebrating International Women's Day of The Swine it Podcast Show Canada, we bring Dr. Isabela Bez, a veterinarian and PhD student in Brazil, who explains how temperature and light regimes influence sow reproductive performance. She discusses seasonal infertility, climate adaptation, and why environmental monitoring inside barns is critical for herd efficiency. The episode highlights practical management strategies to reduce reproductive losses and improve outcomes. Listen now on all major platforms. "Environmental factors are actually very important on sow reproduction, and sometimes these are the factors that producers tend to not pay attention." Meet the guest: Dr. Isabela Bez / isabela-cristina-cola%c3%a7o-bez-1753381b0 is a veterinarian and PhD student in Animal Science at Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná (PUCPR), Brazil. Her work focuses on swine reproduction, nutrition, and animal welfare, with strong expertise in environmental effects on sow performance. She collaborates with international farms and research groups to improve reproductive efficiency through applied science.