The share of the pork retail price received by producers was little changed in December 2013, based on retail prices collected by AHDB/BPEX.
Farmgate prices were slightly lower than the previous month, with retail prices also easing marginally. As a result, producers received 43% of the final price, about 1% more than a year earlier and a high share by recent standards.
During the whole of 2013, producers received an average of 42% of the retail price, up from 40% in 2012. Bacon retail prices for the whole of December are not yet available, but in November margins remained similar to those in the previous two months, with the producer share of the final price steady at about 38%.
Although the average retail price was little changed in December, this was the result of contrasting movements for different cuts.
Boneless leg joints and loin steaks were both cheaper than in November, by 3% and 6% respectively. In contrast, several other cuts were more expensive, with boneless shoulder up by 4% and loin chops by 2%.
All monitored cuts were more expensive than a year earlier, apart from loin steaks, which were 1% cheaper. The biggest rises were for shoulder joints, up 7%, and diced pork, up 6%.