Irish pig farm leaders have highlighted a current price gap between factories for which they say there is “simply no justification” given evidence that the EU market is once again stable.
“Considering that southern (Irish) factories were once again in a position to maintain a stable pig price this week, there is simply no justification for the factories that dropped to not reverse that decision,” said the Irish Farmers’ Association’s pigs committee chairman, Pat O’Flaherty.
The chairman’s comment was based on the fact that while three factories are quoting €1.64/kg (£1.48/kg) as their top flat-rate price at present, another is quoting €1.62/kg (£1.46/kg) with the other on €1.60/kg (£1.44/kg).
“The EU’s main producers were in a stand-on position as well this week which indicates that the market is stable once again,” said Mr O’Flaherty (pictured above).
“In addition, the German market has been, and is being, supplied with a larger volume of Danish weaners with the Danish Chief Economist estimating that their exports of piglets could hit 13 million this year. EU pigs are therefore moving around, which suggests that supplies will run dry considering the lower herd numbers.”
Despite the Association’s complaint, Ireland’s percentage of the EU price has improved recently and is currently 101% of the EU average price, as reported to the European Commission for the week beginning October 17, 2016.
Factory pig throughput in Republic of Ireland export plants for the week ending Oct 22, 2016, meanwhile, was 61,793 head which was 1,232 less than in the corresponding week in 2015. Slaughtering’s in ROI export plants is running 4.7% ahead of the same period in 2015.