Pig market: 14/05/2018

Prices reported to IFA

Comment: Irish pig prices remain unchanged for yet another week at prices of between €1.38c/kg and €1.42c/kg. The bank holiday week resulted in a reduced kill of 56,192, which will result in a carryover of approximately 12,000 pigs into this week. The increase in production efficiency at farm level is very positive, but the killing capacity within the Republic of Ireland, particularly in light of the unknown impact of Brexit, is an issue that is of concern to all pig producers. This week sees a trade mission, led by EU Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan along with Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed and Bord Bia CEO Tara McCarty, visiting China, a key export market for Irish pigmeat. The importance of developing emerging export markets will be key to the long-term sustainability of the Irish pig sector.