Weekly pig prices and slaughter data for Great Britain.
Following two welcome weekly increases, the EU-spec SPP dropped back again, losing 0.57p to stand at 180.92p/kg during the week ended April 25.
Comfortably cancelling out the 0.22p gains of the previous fortnight, the SPP is now at a low for the year and, indeed, its lowest point since Juenn 2022. It remains 24p below the same week last year and 27p below the recent August 2025 high.
After recent improvements in major EU markets, the latest Tribune roundup again showed little change last week, other than small increases in Denmark and Ireland.
The headline gap between UK and EU pig prices continues to close, after the all-time high of 70p was reached in January.
The grade S reference price for the week ended April 19 moved up by 0.6p to 148.13p/kg, compared with the low of 126.21p/kg recorded in the week ending February 1. With the equivalent UK price edging down that week, the headline gap between the UK and EU prices dropped to just over 39p.
Defra figures for the first quarter of this year show UK pigmeat production was 5.3% up year on year, at 256,800 tonnes, on the back of higher slaughterings and carcase weights, AHDB reports.
AHDB’s estimated GB clean pig slaughterings suggest the trend is continuing in April. The figure stood at 171,368 head during the week ended April 25, 6,500 head up on the previous week and 16,000 head above year-earlier levels.
Average carcase weights have dropped for the second consecutive week, losing 0.14kg to stand at 94.84kg, still 3.5kg above year-earlier levels.
London feed wheat futures were quoted by AHDB on April 29 at £189/t for May, £10 up on last week, and £184/t for July, £5 up on last week.