The Australian pork industry is made up of approximately 270,000 sows.
270,000
5.2 million
Australia produces 5.2 million pigs per annum. Most are sold as bacon weight pigs which are primarily 100 kg liveweight.
Australian pork producers produce over 400,000t of pig meat each year. The average carcass weight across the industry is 77kg.
Source: Australian Pork Limited (2020)
WA Industry
There are approximately 40,000 sows in Western Australia, primarily located in the south west of the state where the climate is most suited to pig production.
40,000
30%
In Western Australia 27% of the state’s pigs are farmed and raised under Free Range and outdoor bred conditions, which is well above the national average of 9%. The majority of the Free Range pork produced in Western Australia is exported to the east coast of Australia to meet demand.
Nearly 800,000 pigs produce nearly 61,000 tonnes of pork per annum in WA.
800,000
18,000
Westpork is the largest producer with 18,000 sows. Four pig farming enterprises produce 71% of the state’s production.
Dardanup Butchering Company and Linley Valley Pork are the two principal abattoirs in the state for processing pork. Linley Valley Pork is the state's only export-accredited abattoir.
Source: Australian Pork Limited (2020)
Production Numbers
The average productivity for Australian sows is 23.6 pigs weaned per sow per year with an average litter size of 10.2 pigs weaned.
23.6 pigs
19-22 weeks
Most pigs in Australia are weaned at three to four weeks of age and finish in 19-22 weeks.
Free Range breeding systems typically wean 17-19 pigs per sow per year.
17 - 19
2,700
There are approximately 2,700 pig producers in Australia, ranging in size from small pig keepers with a couple of pigs to large-scale commercial enterprises.
Our growing pigs eat 2.4kg of feed for every 1kg of bodyweight they put on. On average pigs would typically grow about 650grams per day from birth to bacon.
Source: Pork Cooperative Research Centre (2016)
Consumption
Nearly 10% of pigs produced in Australia go to export markets in Singapore, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, New Zealand and Hong Kong.
10%
90%
The remaining 90% go into our domestic supermarkets, butchers and food service outlets.
Australia imports approximately 200,000 tonnes of pork each year from the larger pork producing countries such as the United States, Denmark, the Netherlands and Canada. This creates significant competition in the marketplace and is why it’s important to always buy Australian.
200,000 tonnes
11.2kg
Each year Australian consume 11.2kg of fresh pork and 15.4kg of processed products such as ham, bacon and small goods.
Over 80% of Australian Householders chose to eat pork in any given year.
80%
75%
Approximately 75% of the ham and bacon consumers purchase is made from imported meat. Please look for the Pink Pork Mark to buy Australian pork.
Australian pork producers do not use Antibiotics as growth promotants.
