Weekly pig prices and slaughter data for Great Britain.
The EU-spec SPP has recorded its biggest increase since late July, gaining 0.38p to stand at at 200.67p/kg, during the week ended November 22.
This follows last week’s reversal of 1.61p and represents the only positive movement for the price index in the past nine weeks, bar a tiny 0.01p gain two weeks ago. The SPP has still lost nearly 7.5p since mid August and remains nearly 6p below where it stood a year ago.
The small upward movement means the SPP has not followed the trend in Europe. Monday’s Tribune round-up revealed that prices have fallen across the board, heavily in many cases, led by a 10 eurocent drop in the baseline German pig price and a 5 eurocent fall in its sow price.
Prior to these reversals, the headline difference between UK and EU pig prices had narrowed slightly. The EU reference price (Grade S) inched up to 154.95p/kg during the week ended November 16, narrowing the gap to the equivalent UK price to just over 48p, still around double typically levels.
AHDB’s estimated GB slaughterings for the week ended November 22 showed a notable uptick, gaining 8,600 head on the previous week, at 173,844 head, possibly a sign, if the figures are accurate, that efforts to catch-up after recent factory issues have been made.
The estimate was 3,700 head above the 2024 figure for the equivalent week and 2,000 head up on 2023, the first time 2025 has trended above the last two years for a long time. As always, these estimates are potentially subject to further revision.
Average carcase weights were up fractionally to 93.24kg in the SPP sample, 2.6kg above year-earlier levels.
London feed wheat futures were quoted by AHDB on November 26 at £165/t for January, and £169/t for March, down on last week.