AHDB Pork’s weekly pig prices, slaughter data and commentary for Great Britain
There was little change in the EU-spec SPP for the week ending September 11, with the average standing at 156.37p/kg, down just 0.02p/kg on the week before. Prices remain similar to levels in June.
Despite the stability this week, we should still expect further downward pressure on pig prices. Pig meat is generally oversupplied across Europe and prices on the continent remain much lower than here in Britain. With this in mind, imported pig meat is likely to be relatively competitive.
Estimated slaughter in GB stood at 164,300 head, 5% higher than the week before and also 2% higher than the same week in 2020.
It is worth noting that for the past two months our initial weekly slaughter estimates have been lower than actual numbers coming through, with numbers in the SPP sample (which does not include outdoor or within-company traded pigs) making up a smaller portion of the total kill than usual. If this has continued, actual slaughter may have been higher than this. While widespread anecdotal reports point to staffing issues limiting throughput at plants, higher pig production this year is also contributing to the processing capacity challenge.
There was also little change in carcase weights during the week, which averaged 88.89kg. This remains over 3kg above last year’s level, which is a significant increase and does back-up reports of slaughter delays.
The EU-spec APP also declined in the week ended September 4, though not to the same extent as the SPP in the same week. The average was 162.73p/kg, down just under a penny on the week. This meant the gap between the APP and the SPP was 6.34p, the largest difference since the two series began.
To see the weekly price graphs, click here
