Broken weeks push up slaughter figures

In week 19, the Dutch slaughter figure recorded 298.000 pig slaughters. That is an increase of 3000 pigs compared to the previous week. Compared to the same week in 2016, the slaughter figure is more than one percent higher. In exact numbers, the pig supply is certainly not low. Normally, the slaughter figure from May is roughly between 260.000 and 280.000 pigs.

Aftereffects of broken weeks
The high slaughter figures are probably a result of the broken weeks, including Easter Monday and King's Day. There are rumors going around that pigs are being pushed around a lot.

In addition, the pigs delivered in week 19, at 96,59 kilos, were downright heavy. In the previous week, the slaughter figure was as high as 96,95 kilos. Such an average weight has not even occurred before in the available historical data.

Germany
In Germany, 1.002.069 pigs were hanging on the hooks with an average weight of 97,66 kilos. Due to a pent-up supply, due to the broken week in week 18, the one million mark has been exceeded. In the coming months, slaughter figures of around 950.000 pigs are a historical indication. It can be concluded that the supply did not allow a higher pig price in recent weeks.

Two more ''jammers'' will emerge in the short term. This concerns Ascension Day (week 2) and Whit Monday (week 21). Nevertheless, the German pig price rose by 23 cents to 4 euros on Wednesday afternoon.

France
France has more lost slaughter days in May than elsewhere in Europe. This is clearly reflected in the slaughter figures and the French pig price. In week 19, the slaughter figure was 309.054 pigs. The previous week was also a broken week with 307.520 pigs slaughtered. The French pig price (Brittany) has fallen by 7 cents since April to 1,48 euros.