Pig market: 10/04/2017

IFA comment: Another week of little change in Irish pig prices, with the main processors remaining on quotes of €1.66c/kg to €1.70c/kg. It still remains a seller’s market though, with no procurement manager willing to lose pigs. Farmers who bargain hard are achieving more than initial quotes from some processors. IFA pigs committee chair Tom Hogan said the fundamentals of the market remain positive for the foreseeable future and he urged pig farmers not to accept quotes at the lower end of the range. Demand for pig meat is buoyant across all major markets, including the domestic Irish market. Similar to previous weeks, deals up to €1.72c/kg were reported as being paid for spot loads and lighter pigs. The total Irish pig kill is back 2.1% compared with 2016, which has been a contributing factor to the intense competition between processors in recent months.