Inventories of Canadian cattle and hogs have fallen to their lowest levels in more than a decade, according to data released Tuesday by Statistics Canada.
In January, the total number of cattle fell to 13 million from 13.18 million in January 2009, the lowest level in 15 years. The total number of hogs fell 4.5% to 11.6 million from 12.18 million, which is the lowest level in 12 years.
Provinces reporting the largest cattle declines included B.C. (-5.4%), Atlantic Canada (-4.9%), and Alberta (-4.3%). The declines reflected the first drop in the number of beef or dairy cattle farms to 99,265, which is the first time the number of cattle farms has fallen below 100,000. The Canadian dairy herd declined 0.2% last year, while the total beef herd shrank 1.4%.
Livestock declines were more pronounced in the hog industry, with the number of hog farms falling to 7,360. Since January 2009, there has been a 4.3% decline in the breeding heard and the inventory of sows fell to 1.3 million, a level not seen since 2000.