Could it be that the Scottish pig industry is bouncing back after a dark couple of years?
In 2012 the sector lost its biggest processing facility when Dutch firm Vion closed the Hall’s of Broxburn plant.
The facility, which at the time processed around 70% of Scottish pigmeat, cited “unsustainable losses” of £79,000 a day as the reason behind the closure.
Not long after this Vion upped sticks and left the UK all together, selling off the rest of its company which included red meat and poultry operations.
Scottish pig numbers have been falling since the late 1990s.
According to Scottish Government statistics, the total number of pigs in the country has fallen by 32.7% since 2004 to 316,000.
During this ten-year period the breeding herd fell by 38.1% to 30,000 sows, while other pigs for fattening fell by 32.4% to 280,000.
Results from this year’s June agricultural census paint a mixed picture.
Although the number of breeding and fattening pigs is up for the first time since 2010, the national herd is still below what it was in 2012.
It is clear that the closure of Hall’s of Broxburn is still casting a shadow on the sector.
That said, with total pigs up 2.7%, the breeding herd up 5% and other pigs up 2.6%, the future is looking bright.
Let’s hope news that planned improvements at the Brechin plant, under the watchful eye of its new owners QPL, will stimulate further growth in the sector.