Pig market: 23/10/2017

Prices reported to IFA

Comment: Another week of stable quotes from all pig processors, with €1.58c/kg being an accurate reflection of the average pig price being paid again this week. The national kill dropped significantly last week to 63,200, with reports that many slaughter plants around the country experienced interruptions to production last Monday and Tuesday due to ex-hurricane Ophelia, with power outages delaying processing during the week in places. A number of export plants worked last Saturday to ensure supplies of pigmeat were maintained and no back-up of pigs was carried over into this week. Many pig units also had to deal with power outages, with electricity being essential on all modern pig production units for feed, water and ventilation systems. The pig trade has stabilised across Europe after two months of price fluctuations and with the EU pig sow herd declining 2% in 2016-17, production is still below 2016 levels.