Weekly pig prices and slaughter data for Great Britain.
For the second week in a row, the EU-spec SPP has moved upwards, gaining 0.21p to stand at 181.50p/kg during the week ended April 18.
It might be small steps, 0.22p in a fortnight, but any stabilisation is welcome after the SPP lost nearly 16p in 14 weeks of uninterrupted decline since the start of the year and nearly 27p since its recent August 2025 peak. It remains 24p below the same week last year and at its lowest point since June 2022.
After recent improvements in major EU markets, the latest Tribune roundup again showed little change across the board last week, as the EU markets plateau following welcome gains in March.
The good news of late has been the steady closing of the headline gap between UK and EU pig prices, after the all-time high of 70p in January.
The grade S reference price for the week ended April 12 was steady at 147.45p/kg, compared with the low of 126.21p/kg recorded in the week ending February 1. However, the equivalent UK price edged up that week, meaning the headline gap between the UK and EU prices moved beyond 40p again.
Defra figures for the first quarter of this year show UK pigmeat production was 5.3% up year on year, at 256,800 tonnes, on the back of higher slaughterings and carcase weights, AHDB reports.
The short Easter weeks have made it difficult to gauge whether the trend is continuing into April. AHDB’s estimated GB clean pig slaughterings stood at 164,829 head during the week ended April 11, 8,500 head up on year-earlier levels.
After the previous week’s 0.76kg increase, average carcase weights fell back again, losing 0.56kg to stand at 94.98kg, still nearly 4kg above year-earlier levels.
London feed wheat futures were quoted by AHDB on April 22 at £178/t for May and July, £2 up on last week, in both cases.