Irish pig prices are “moving on” this week with both factories and dealers actively seeking pigs, according to the Irish Farmers Association (IFA).
In what amounted to an upbeat report on trading prospects, IFA pigs committee chairman, Pat O’Flaherty, said the Irish increase reflected rising prices elsewhere in the EU, especially in Germany.
He also said that with the barbecue season about to take off, the expectation is that prices will increase accordingly.
Another positive for EU producers was that sow numbers and hog numbers in China were “drastically down” in the third and fourth quarter of 2014, creating an expectation of stronger future demand.
Irish prices for the week beginning May 4, were at 104% of the EU average while factory pig throughput in the Republic’s export plants for the same week was 49,908 head, an increase of 3,915 more on the corresponding week in 2014.