Weekly pig prices and slaughter data for Great Britain.
After briefly stabilising last week, the EU-spec SPP has recorded another big decline, losing 1.61p to stand at at 200.3p/kg, during the week ended November 15.
The price index has lost nearly 8p since mid August, including more than 6p over the past eight weeks. It is now at its lowest point since the first week of January 2023 and nearly 6p below where it stood a year ago.
The Tribune’s EU price round up on Monday showed further significant declines in the Netherlands and Ireland, with prices also falling in Spain, France and Belgium. The German pig price stood on, however.
The headline difference between UK and EU pig prices remains wide. The EU reference price (Grade S) fell by 1p to 154.62p/kg during the week ended November 9, maintaining the gap to the equivalent UK price at just below 50p, around double the gap typically seen.
Defra’s latest monthly figures show October UK clean pig slaughterings were up 2% on October 2024 at 946,000 head, while pigmeat production at 90,000 tonnes, was 3.8% up year on year due to higher slaughter weights.
The slaughter numbers were something of a surprise, given that AHDB’s estimated GB slaughterings, had trended significantly below year-earlier levels throughout most of October and into November.
However, AHDB’s slaughter estimates for the past few weeks have now been raised significantly upwards. The revised figures show estimated GB slaughterings for the week ended November 15 were 2,000 head down on the week, at 165,288 head, which was 2,600 head down on the 2024 figure for the equivalent week and 9,000 head down on 2023. As always, these estimates are potentially subject to further revision.
Having fallen for three successive weeks, average carcase weights gained 0.38kg to stand at 93.18kg in the SPP sample, 1.76kg above year-earlier levels.
London feed wheat futures were quoted by AHDB on November 19 at £166/t for November, and £170/t for January, slightly up on last week in both cases.