Weekly pig prices and slaughter data for Great Britain.
The EU-spec SPP has dropped back again slightly, losing 0.27p to stand at 177.78p/kg during the week ended October 17.
This represents a degree of stability after the SPP recorded its biggest weekly drop since the start of the year, 2.55p, last week.
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 early July and is 26p below where it stood a year ago.
The SPP sample stood at 48,867 pigs, with the biggest decline, -1.74p, coming in the 100kg-105kg category, although the average price of the biggest pigs, +105kg, increased marginally.
The SPP continues to mask 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 EU price roundup showed more big reductions in finished pig prices across Europe led by a 5 eurocents reduction in Germany.
The headline UK-EU price gap continues to widen. The EU reference price (S-grade) lost nearly 3p to stand at 137.34p/kg during the week ended October 11, meaning it has lost 11.4p in the space of four weeks. This increased the gap to the equivalent UK reference price to beyond 48p, compared with 37p just four weeks earlier.
Having been trending well above year-earlier figures for the first eight months of the year, September UK clean pig slaughterings were down 1.1% on September 2025 at 890,000 head, the latest Defra update shows. While GB slaughterings in September were slightly higher year on year, the reduction has been driven by Northern Ireland, where there was a 9.5% reduction.
September sow and boar slaughterings at 18,800 head were 13% up on September 2025.
UK pigmeat production in September, at 84,000 tonnes, was just 0.2% lower year on year, on the back of heavier carcase weights.
AHDB’s estimated GB clean pig slaughterings have been revised downwards following the publication of the Defra figures. At 165,601 head, the estimated figure for the week ended October 17 was slightly up on the previous week, but 4,000 head down on the year-earlier figure.
Average carcase weights have fallen back for the first time in four weeks, losing 0.62kg to stand at 93.61kg in the SPP sample, still an increase of 3.5g since early August, and around 2kg below the January peak. The average carcase weight is now on a par with year-earlier levels.
London feed wheat futures were quoted by AHDB on Ocober 21 at £195/t for November, a significant £11 down on last week, and £205/t for January, £5 down on last week.