This week’s Slaughter Pig Marketing Summary, from Thames Valley Cambac, reported that the optimism seen in the market last week continued apace with all the majors planning large throughputs.
Prices improved again, with a good increase in SPP, and some weekly contract price contributions up 3p. Supplies tightened again, and average weights continued to trend lower.
The fresh meat market roared ahead with many wholesalers enjoying a buoyant trade, and prices were 2p to 5p stronger. Cull sows were a better trade with prices up a penny or so. In Europe, Germany gained 3 eurocents, and Holland, Belgium and Spain were 2.5 euro cents higher.
Price quotes in sterling were compromised, however, by a weaker Euro that ended the week down 0.77p at 84.45p. Finally, and more sobering were fresh reports of the spread of ASF in wild boars in Poland into a province that contains around 30% of the Polish commercial pig herd, and only 45 kilometres from the German border.
The Polish authorities are hastily building new fences, and restricting public access to the forests where the infected wild boars were discovered.
The Weaner Marketing Summary, for week commencing December 1, reported that supplies of both 7kg weaners and 30kg stores tightened slightly.
Demand however, remained fickle, and prices continued to struggle. The prices announced by the AHDB saw no quote given for a 30kg store pig, and the weighted average for a 7kg weaner fall by £1.17 to £40.89p.