The number of pigs on the nation's farms has hit its lowest level in more than a decade, say industry analysts.

Defra's latest figures show there were 4.7m pigs on UK agricultural holdings at the start of June 2023 - down 10pc from the previous year.

Analysts say this is a loss of more than half a million animals, and is the smallest UK pig population recorded since 2012.

This is largely driven by an 11pc fall in the number of fattening pigs, which now stands at just under 4.3m, while the number of breeding pigs was relatively stable, falling by just 0.2pc.

Pigs are a vital part of East Anglia's agricultural economy, with an estimated 20pc of the national herd kept in Norfolk and Suffolk - but the sector has endured a prolonged economic crisis in recent years.

Struggling pig farms finally returned to profit in the second quarter of 2023 after 10 successive quarters of losses, caused by falling pig prices and record high costs - particularly for fuel and animal feed, whose value soared after the war in Ukraine drove up grain prices.

Freya Shuttleworth, senior livestock analyst for the AHDB (Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board), said: "The drop in the total pig population has been driven by a substantial fall in the numbers of fattening pigs, unsurprising given the size of decline seen in the breeding herd last year and the negative impacts the summer 2022 heatwave had on fertility."

Despite the steep decline in fattening pigs, she said the "minimal change" in the breeding herd and an increase in the number of gilts -  young female pigs - which are either pregnant or intended for first-time breeding shows signs of "improved industry sentiment, likely in part due to improved farm margins".

"While this may indicate cautious growth for some producers, we do not expect to see the industry bouncing back to the heights of 2021 in terms of pig numbers, throughputs or production," she added.

Defra's statistics also show the number of cattle and calves in the UK has decreased by 0.8pc to just under 9.6m animals between 2022 and 2023.

Meanwhile, sheep and lamb numbers have fallen by 4.1pc to 32m, and the total number of poultry - another key East Anglian sector - has decreased by 2.9pc to 178m birds in 2023.