Doe Run Co. will reduce planned lead-mine output by 17 percent in 2009 because of a soft economy that’s eroding demand and prices for the metal.

The St. Louis-based company plans to produce 5 million tons this year from its mines instead of  a planned 6 million tons, Jerry Pyatt, Doe Run’s chief operating officer and vice president of domestic operations said Monday afternoon in a statement.

“The current economic turmoil is forcing companies around the world to take steps to enable them to continue to operate profitably,” Pyatt said in the statement. “We will monitor the market and make necessary adjustments in our operations as factors warrant.”