The European Commission reported average pig prices of ?143.08/100kg in the week ended April 29, declining by ?1.82/100kg from four weeks earlier and ?28/100kg below the same week in the year before according to the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board’s latest analysis.
Felicity Rusk, Trainee Analyst at AHDB, says the decline was not unexpected taking into account that demand for pork has been weak both on the local markets and on the export markets. Husk says EU pork particularly struggled to compete with low domestic pork prices in China.
In addition, Husk explained, “forecasts anticipate EU pig meat production will be slightly higher this year than in 2017. Supplies available therefore currently exceed demand, bringing pig prices under pressure.”
The French reference price reported the most significant change over the four week period, falling €5.00/100kg to €130.00/100kg in the most recent week. Germany, the Netherlands and Spain also reported declines in price over the month. Conversely, the Danish reference price was broadly stable, and Poland actually reported a small increase over the same period.
