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
    • 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
Podcast
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. September 2025
    2. August 2025
    3. 2025 Maximising Pig Health supplement
    4. July 2025
    5. June 2025
    6. 2025 Innovation supplement
    7. May 2025
    8. April 2025
    9. March 2025
    10. 2025 Buildings supplement
    11. February 2025
    12. 2025 Nutrition Supplement
    13. January 2025
    14. December 2024
    15. November 2024
    16. 2025 National Pig Awards supplement
    17. October 2024
    18. September 2024
    19. August 2024
    20. 2024 Pig Health supplement
    21. July 2024
    22. June 2024
    23. 2024 Innovation supplement
    24. 2024 Pig & Poultry Fair Guide
    25. May 2024
    26. April 2024
    27. 2024 Buildings Supplement
    28. March 2024
    29. 2024 Pig Nutrition supplement
    30. February 2024
    31. January 2024
    32. December 2023
    33. November 2023
    34. 2023 National Pig Awards supplement
    35. October 2023
    36. September 2023
    37. Health Supplement
    Featured

    September 2025 issue of Pig World now available

    September 1, 2025
    Recent

    September 2025 issue of Pig World now available

    September 1, 2025

    August 2025 issue of Pig World now available

    August 1, 2025

    2025 Maximising Pig Health supplement 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
Business

Pork and chicken suffer most in retail price decline

PW ReportersBy PW ReportersSeptember 16, 20163 Mins Read
LinkedIn Twitter Facebook Email

Pork and chicken have taken the biggest retail price hit over the past year, according to an analysis of recent price movements by Quality Meat Scotland (QMS).

Looking at the August report from the Office of National Statistics, alongside recent financial updates from major retailers, QMS economist, Stuart Ashworth, pointed out that while retail prices for beef, lamb and pork all rose between July and August, they still remain substantially lower than in 2015, with chicken also selling at a significantly reduced value.

“Pork and chicken prices, in fact, fell by more than 5% (on the year), with beef and lamb showing a lower decline of around 2.5%,” he said, adding that such retail price movements should, perhaps, not come as too much of a surprise, given the information emerging from the UK’s major multiple retailers.

The growth of Aldi and Lidl, based on a low-price business model, was well documented, he continued, while both Morrison’s and ASDA had also reported price reduction moves in order to remain competitive.

“While cutting retail prices does not necessarily mean that the multiple retailers will pay less to their suppliers, it is difficult to see how they could pay more,” said Mr Ashworth (pictured above).

“With farmgate prices for prime cattle, sheep and pigs all being currently higher than they were 12 months ago, however, the squeeze in supply chain margins beyond the farmgate quickly becomes apparent with an abattoir’s ability to pay year-on-year price increases to producers becoming compromised.”

The weakening of sterling, meanwhile, is helping the industry, for the moment at least, by lifting the price of imported manufacturing meat, a factor which is reducing the flow of low priced imported raw material into the UK’s food processing market.

On the export front, however, competition remains intense, despite the weakness of sterling making Scotch product more competitively priced than in the past.

“Sheepmeat exports are still struggling to match the levels of 12 months ago, while beef exports are showing only marginal increases,” said Mr Ashworth. “In contrast, pigmeat exports have been much stronger in the first half of 2016.

“Imports of sheepmeat and beef so far this year have been lower than last year, however, while pigmeat imports are up marginally. As a result, the net effect of trade and domestic production has left the home market slightly more tightly supplied than last year, in the past couple of months.

“So, despite the supermarket price wars, processors, in order to meet their supply contracts, have faced competition in the market for slaughter livestock. This has supported higher prices for producers leading to lower margins among processors.”

Share. LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Email
Previous ArticleFAO unveils antimicrobial resistance plan ahead of UN debate
Next Article Russia open to pig sector technology but not pigmeat says country specialist
PW Reporters

Read Similar Stories

Pilgrim’s Europe joins forces with Puretec to save water

September 5, 2025

Flood of pig building inquiries ‘tangible evidence of farmers’ confidence in the future’

September 2, 2025

Defra updates July UK carcase weight and UK pigmeat production figures

August 27, 2025
Latest News

GB pig prices for week ending September 13, 2025 – SPP drops back for third week in a row

September 17, 2025

EFRA reports on government border control failings a ‘reset moment’ – Dover District Council

September 17, 2025

BMPA chief executive Nick Allen to retire after 50-year career

September 17, 2025
Sponsored Content

All Vaccines Are Not Equal

September 15, 2025

Enhancing Weaned Pig Health and Performance with Zinc and Iron

August 1, 2025
Current Pig Industry jobs
  • Pig Farm Manager – Ref 1777 Dorset

    • Dorset
    • Roadhogs Recruitment Ltd.
    • Full Time
  • Pig Farm Manager – Ref 1776 Australia

    • Queensland, Australia
    • Roadhogs Recruitment Ltd.
    • Full Time
  • Boar Stud Assistant Manager

    • Cambridgeshire
    • Hermitage AI 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.