UK pig prices recovered slightly in the week to August 3 according to figures from BPEX.
After a couple of weeks when the EU spec DAPP registered small falls, last week’s price was 168.34p/kg, up 0.09p/kg on the week. At the current price, pig producers are receiving 18p/kg more than the same week last year.
The pig market remained reasonably balanced in the latest week, which is as expected during this time of the year. Weekly slaughterings were estimated at 163,600 head, which was slightly higher than the same week in 2012.
The average carcase weight stood at 78.81kg for the week ended August 3, almost unchanged from the week before. While this weekly average was still higher than in the same week last year, pig growth has been affected by the recent hot temperatures and carcase weights have been suppressed. The usual seasonal upward trend in weights, which would normally have started by now, is not yet apparent.