Analysis Pigs
The Netherlands remains a discordant note in a buoyant EU pig market
Developments regarding slaughter figures continue in the same vein. In the Netherlands, the market is clearly much tighter than normal, but this is not the case for our neighboring markets. Read more about differences in slaughter figures.
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Pig slaughterings reached a level of 262.088 pigs in week 11. This represents a decrease of 10,5% compared to the level of a year ago. The question is whether this new level is the new norm for the time being. Week 11 was another week in which the market was clearly preparing for the Easter peak.
Neighboring markets spacious
The decline is directly related to the LBV+ scheme. In the Netherlands' most important competing neighboring markets, there is no comparable decline. In Germany, the slaughter figure stands at a more or less normal level of 738.322 pigs.
However, the meat market is considerably more open, as there is no build-up towards Easter. The slaughter figure is at a level you would have expected around the Easter peak last year. From that week on, well over 700.000 pigs were slaughtered every week. Although this can be partly explained by the fact that Easter falls much earlier than a year ago, the high number of slaughterings was still ample even within that context. The supply of slaughter pigs is also simply higher in our eastern neighbors.
The market is also very ample in Denmark. In the first 10 weeks of the year, the slaughter rate is 7,9% above last year's level. The number of slaughterings remains more or less consistently around 330.000 pigs per week, with a spike to 341.818 pigs in week 8.