Weekly pig prices and slaughter data for Great Britain.
The EU-spec SPP has recorded its biggest drop since the start of the year, losing 1.88p to stand at 178.34p/kg during the week ended May 9.
With an imbalance of supply and demand compounded by low EU prices, the SPP has lost 19p since the start of the year and 29p since the recent August 2025 high and is now at its lowest point in four years.
The latest Tribune roundup showed little change last week, European falling again, led by 10 eurocents reduction in both the base finished pig price and the sow price in Germany, an even bigger fall in Belgium and a significant drop in the Netherlands.
Before these latest reductions, the headline UK-EU price gap had been closing. The grade S EU reference price dropped back very slightly to 147.08p/kg during the week ended May 3, still more than 20 above the recent February low. But with UK prices coming down more quickly, the gap to the equivalent UK price narrowed to 38.4p, the lowest it has been for some time.
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.
There are clear signs that the trend is continuing and progress is being made in addressing the pig backlog, with AHDB’s estimated GB clean pig slaughterings well aboce year earlier levels throughout April and into May. The figure stood at 174,304 head during the week ended May 9, 4,000 down up on the previous week but 19,000 head above year-earlier levels.
Average carcase weights have dropped for the fourth consecutive week, losing 0.23kg to stand at 94.09kg, a reduction of 1.4kg over the past month and the lowest figure this year but still 3.2g above year-earlier levels.
London feed wheat futures were quoted by AHDB on May 14 at £193/t for May, £8 up on last week, and £185/t for July, £6 up on last week.