Weekly pig prices and slaughter data for Great Britain.
The EU-spec SPP has lost a further 0.99p to stand at 192.2p/kg during the week ended January 17, with carcase weights dropping back a little after soaring to close to record levels.
The last reversal means the price index remains at its lowest point since July 2022. The SPP has now lost 5p since the end of 2025 and is more than 12p below where it stood during the same week in 2025.
The downward trend is driven by various factors, including plummeting EU prices. The latest Tribune EU market round-up showed notable falls in France and Ireland, but elsewhere prices stood on last, including in Germany, following last week’s 15 eurocents reversal.
The headline EU-UK price gap continues to grow to new record levels. The EU reference price (Grade S) lost another 3p to stand at 132.7p/kg during the week ended January 11, pushing the gap to the equivalent UK price to 65.5p, compared with typical levels of around 20p.
The domestic market has also been characterised by ample supplies and a growing pig backlog on farms, partly caused by various factory issues over the past two months or so.
The latest AHDB estimate showed GB clean pig slaughterings at 175,579 head during the week ended January 11, 8,000 head above year-earlier levels, possibly reflecting efforts to eat into the pig backlog.
The average weight in the SPP sample for the week ending January 17 dropped back for the first time this year, losing 0.34kg on the week to stand at 95.42g, still 3.3kg above yearearlier levels and not far off the record level recorded at the height of the pig backlog in January 2022.
London feed wheat futures were quoted by AHDB on January 21 at £160/t for January, and £164/t for March, slightly down on last week.