Pig prices hold at €2.06-€2.10/kg
Quotes Farmers €2 Friday 10 From Processors Available Reporting €2 06 Of Last
Irish pig prices have remained steady, with farmers reporting quotes of €2.06-€2.10 available from processors last Friday.
The average European price for a grade E carcass pig for the first week of 2024 was €2.09/kg, which is 2.6% higher than prices for the same week last year, according to the Commission. However, it is back -1.1% on last month’s prices and 0.7% compared to previous week’s average price.
Industry analysts say global pigmeat production is forecast to remain unchanged in 2024. Lower output in China is anticipated to offset increases in Brazil, Vietnam and the United States. Irish pig producers reacted similarly to their European counterparts by reducing their average holding size over the last 18 months. This impacted on output levels during 2023, with the volume of Irish pigmeat exports (excluding value-added pigmeat) 20% lower than 2022 levels at 189,000t.
Irish pigmeat production is expected to gradually recover from the first quarter of 2024, reflecting some recovery in the pig breeding herd on the back of higher prices and some downward readjustment in production costs.
The weekly throughput figures for the week ending January 21 were 64,673, of which 1,966 were sows.
