Weekly pig prices and slaughter data for Great Britain.
The EU-spec SPP has recorded its biggest weekly drop since the start of the year, losing 2.55p to stand at 178.04p/kg during the week ended October 10.
The SPP had been remarkably stable for the previous six weeks, remaining within a narrow band of 180.15p to 180.84p/kg.
This latest decline, at a time of falling EU prices and an imbalance of supply and demand with large numbers of uncontracted pigs due to come onto the market this autumn, means the SPP is now at its lowest point since July and is 27p below where it stood a year ago.
The SPP sample stood at 49,388 pigs with all weight categories recording a decline and the biggest price drops, -9.5p, in the heaviest weight category, 105kg+, which was also up in number by 500 head to 6,174 head.
The SPP masks huge variation when it comes to current pig prices, with some producers receiving as little as 130p/kg and below for contracted and uncontracted pigs.
The latest Tribune roundup showed further big reductions in finished pig prices in France, which had been bucking the trend, and Spain, with prices standing on elsewhere.
The headline gap between the EU and UK prices is widening rapidly. The EU reference price (S-grade) lost a further 2.5p to stand at 140.14p/kg during the week ended October 4. This increased the gap to the equivalent UK reference price to 46.5p, compared with 37p just three weeks earlier.
AHDB’s estimated GB clean pig slaughterings have returned to trending well above year-earlier levels. At 170,973 head, the estimated figure for week ended October 10 was 4,000 up on last week, and 4,500 head above the year-earlier figure.
Average carcase weights continue to grow, gaining a further 0.49kg to stand at 93.93kg in the SPP sample, an increase of 4kg since early August, and now less than 2kg below the January peak. Carcase weights are 2kg above year-earlier levels.
London feed wheat futures were quoted by AHDB on Ocober 14 at £206/t for November, £2 down on last week, and £210/t for January, £1 down on last week.