This week’s Pig Marketing Summary from Thames Valley Cambac reported that demand from the majors remained subdued with most sticking to strict contract numbers. As mentioned before, poor market conditions at this time of year are worrying as there should be a drive to put down extra product for Christmas. Factory reliability was shoddy at times but most challenges were conquered.
However, this still meant a not insignificant number of pigs being rolled into this trading week. All contract contributions stood on, but the SPP was down nearly a penny. The fresh meat market continued in the doldrums with many wholesalers commenting on the continued pressure of cheap imports.
The cull sow market eased back a penny due to currency. A touch of stability returned to the European markets, with all the quoted countries generally standing on pricewise. All prices in sterling were tempered however by a weaker Euro that ended the week down 0.82p at 87.05.
The Weaner Marketing Summary, for week commencing November 4, reported that the market was extremely challenging. While producers with contract arrangements had the comfort of moving their piglets, any stock offered on the spot market struggled to raise a bid. The odd quotes that could be found were at very low levels. The prices announced by the AHDB saw no quote for a 30kgs pig and the weighted average for a 7kg fell by £1.24 to £35.68.