Pig World
  • News
      • Animal Health
      • Breeding
      • Business
      • Environment
      • EU
      • Food Safety
      • Housing
      • Marketing
      • NPA
      • National Pig Awards
      • New Products
      • Nutrition
      • People
      • Pig Fair
      • Politics
      • Training & Education
      • Welfare
  • Features
    • Animal Health
    • Breeding
    • Environment
    • Farm Visits
    • Herd Recording
    • Housing
    • Marketing
    • Nutrition
    • Products
    • Training
  • Comment
    • AHDB Pork
    • Chris Fogden
    • Dennis Bridgeford
    • Peter Crichton
    • Red Robin
    • Veterinary View
    • Zoe Davies, NPA
  • Numbers
  • Pig Prices
  • Magazines
    • October 2025
    • September 2025
    • August 2025
    • 2025 Maximising Pig Health supplement
    • July 2025
    • June 2025
    • 2025 Innovation supplement
    • May 2025
    • April 2025
    • March 2025
    • 2025 Buildings supplement
    • February 2025
    • 2025 Nutrition Supplement
    • January 2025
    • December 2024
    • November 2024
    • 2025 National Pig Awards supplement
    • October 2024
    • September 2024
    • August 2024
    • 2024 Pig Health supplement
    • July 2024
    • June 2024
    • 2024 Innovation supplement
    • 2024 Pig & Poultry Fair Guide
    • May 2024
    • April 2024
    • 2024 Buildings Supplement
    • March 2024
    • 2024 Pig Nutrition supplement
    • February 2024
    • January 2024
    • December 2023
    • November 2023
    • 2023 National Pig Awards supplement
    • October 2023
    • September 2023
    • Health Supplement
  • Suppliers
  • Jobs
    • Browse Jobs
    • Post a Job
    • Manage Jobs
  • Classified
  • Events
    • Pigs Tomorrow
    • National Pig Awards
Subscribe
Pig WorldPig World
  • News
      • Animal Health
      • Breeding
      • Business
      • Environment
      • EU
      • Food Safety
      • Housing
      • Marketing
      • NPA
      • National Pig Awards
      • New Products
      • Nutrition
      • People
      • Pig Fair
      • Politics
      • Training & Education
      • Welfare
  • Features
    • Animal Health
    • Breeding
    • Environment
    • Farm Visits
    • Herd Recording
    • Housing
    • Marketing
    • Nutrition
    • Products
    • Training
  • Comment
    • AHDB Pork
    • Chris Fogden
    • Dennis Bridgeford
    • Peter Crichton
    • Red Robin
    • Veterinary View
    • Zoe Davies, NPA
  • Numbers
  • Pig Prices
  • Magazines
    1. October 2025
    2. September 2025
    3. August 2025
    4. 2025 Maximising Pig Health supplement
    5. July 2025
    6. June 2025
    7. 2025 Innovation supplement
    8. May 2025
    9. April 2025
    10. March 2025
    11. 2025 Buildings supplement
    12. February 2025
    13. 2025 Nutrition Supplement
    14. January 2025
    15. December 2024
    16. November 2024
    17. 2025 National Pig Awards supplement
    18. October 2024
    19. September 2024
    20. August 2024
    21. 2024 Pig Health supplement
    22. July 2024
    23. June 2024
    24. 2024 Innovation supplement
    25. 2024 Pig & Poultry Fair Guide
    26. May 2024
    27. April 2024
    28. 2024 Buildings Supplement
    29. March 2024
    30. 2024 Pig Nutrition supplement
    31. February 2024
    32. January 2024
    33. December 2023
    34. November 2023
    35. 2023 National Pig Awards supplement
    36. October 2023
    37. September 2023
    38. Health Supplement
    Featured

    October 2025 issue of Pig World now available

    October 2, 2025
    Recent

    October 2025 issue of Pig World now available

    October 2, 2025

    September 2025 issue of Pig World now available

    September 1, 2025

    August 2025 issue of Pig World now available

    August 1, 2025
  • Suppliers
  • Jobs
    • Browse Jobs
    • Post a Job
    • Manage Jobs
  • Classified
  • Events
    • Pigs Tomorrow
    • National Pig Awards
LinkedIn X (Twitter)
Pig World
Peter Crichton

Peter Crichton’s commentary for January 15, 2016

Peter CrichtonBy Peter CrichtonJanuary 15, 20163 Mins Read
LinkedIn Twitter Facebook Email

Despite large volumes of pigs being “pulled forward” before Christmas and the New Year, unfortunately there’s still a significant backlog of heavy pigs in the system. This was underlined by the latest SPP, which slipped another 2.88p to stand at 119.09p, with the average weight of the sample at an eye-watering 84.02kg deadweight, which is the highest ever recorded.

A long spell of remarkably mild and good growing weather, together with better production and productivity, have combined to create a significant over-supply of pigmeat throughout the system, not to mention stiff competition from imports, with Belgian carcases ex-head and feet reported to be available on a delivered basis as low as 110p/kg.

Hopefully, the current spell of cold weather should down pig growth rates and stimulate customers’ appetite levels.

There were wide variations in spot bacon quotes, with the lowest bids at 90p and others at up to 112p, with regular sellers generally able to receive prices towards the upper end of this range and those with one-off loads finding very few homes and lower prices.

German pig prices are also showing a slightly firmer trend with reported rises of 3 cents (2.3p), but little of this has yet filtered through to the UK market.

One shaft of sunlight has been the recent resurgence in the value of the euro, which bounced up another 3% this week to trade on Friday worth 76.63p. This is the main reason cull sow quotes also moved up by between 1.0 to 2.0p/kg, with most bids in the 52p to 54p bracket.

Weaner prices continue to suffer, and although the latest AHDB prices do not show much variation compared with last week, with the 30kg average quoted at £39.59/head and 7kg at £31.34/head, but spot prices for one-off weaner deals have been reported at much less money than this as supply continues to exceed demand and buyers remain extremely cautious over finished pig prices in the weeks ahead despite lower feed costs.

UK LIFFE feed wheat futures prices are continuing to display bearish trends, with January quoted at £108.25/t and May at £112.50/t, and the latest Farmers Weekly ex-farm feed wheat price now stands at £102.30/t, although it’s quite hard to buy much at this level.

Some protein prices are showing a slightly firmer trend with Chicago soya bean futures settling up on the week, but Paris rapeseed future prices closed down and global soya bean stocks are reported to be slightly lower than forecast, although ongoing Chinese stockmarket volatility may also help to keep a lid on any significant price rises, UK hi-pro soya meal was traded at £244/t for May delivery and UK rapemeal at £151/t ex-store.

And there’s more bad news in the shape of the latest NPA report that the farmers’ share of the retail price of has plummeted to less than 34%, which is its lowest level for 15 years. Although there are suggestions that some form of direct action might take place, following the fall of 19p/kg (13%) in December farm gate prices when compared with the previous December. Milk producers are in a similar loss-making situation, and the farming industry as a whole seems to be very much at the mercy of the price war that’s taking place between the major retailers.

And finally, those of us who are 69-years old will be wondering who is next following the sad demise of David Bowie and Alan Rickman in the past few days?

Share. LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Email
Previous ArticleFunding bid by EU pig research and knowledge transfer group
Next Article Forward buying feed is proving costly
Peter Crichton

Read Similar Stories

This Will Be The Last Time (Peter Crichton’s final market update)

March 25, 2023

Pigs on the Wing

March 17, 2023

Good Vibrations

March 10, 2023
Latest News

Meat industry rejects calls to ban CO2 in abattoirs

October 20, 2025

Brazilian pork production forecast to rise, as it becomes a bigger player on the global stage

October 20, 2025

Defra welfare advisors call for CO2 to be phased out as a means of stunning pigs

October 16, 2025
Sponsored Content

Serious about pig welfare? So are we

October 16, 2025

All Vaccines Are Not Equal

September 15, 2025
Current Pig Industry jobs
  • Pig Unit Manager – Ref 1788 Northern Ireland

    • County Londonderry, Northern Ireland
    • Roadhogs Recruitment Ltd.
    • Full Time
  • Pig Stockperson – Ref 1787 North Yorkshire

    • North Yorkshire
    • Roadhogs Recruitment Ltd.
    • Full Time
  • Pig Stockperson/FarmWorker – Ref 1786 Essex

    • Essex
    • Roadhogs Recruitment Ltd.
    • Full Time
GETTING IN TOUCH
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Meet The Editors
  • About Us
  • Email Newsletters
  • Subscribe
  • Reuse permissions
OUR SOCIAL CHANNELS
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
PARTNER EVENTS
RELATED SITES
  • Farmers Weekly
  • Agronomist & Arable Farmer
  • Farm Contractor
  • National Pig Awards
  • Pigs Tomorrow
  • Poultry News
  • Weekly Tribune
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
© 2024 MA Agriculture Ltd, a Mark Allen Group company

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.