Abattoirs are switching back in pace

Dutch slaughterhouses slaughtered a total of 337.000 pigs in the past week, while in the previous week 332.000 pigs were already on the hook. Only twice before have so many pigs been slaughtered in 2 week. The average slaughter weight showed a sharp decrease from 1 grams to 30 kilos last week.

The high slaughter figures correspond with the sounds from the market, which say that the slaughterhouses are running at full capacity. That is still the case this week; the slaughter figure usually peaks in week 50, making a new slaughter record within reach. This now stands at 343.000 pigs (week 50, 2017).

Sow price significantly lower 
That will change in the coming weeks. The traders indicate that there is less space available at various slaughterhouses in the Netherlands and Germany. Symbolic of this is the sow price of Tönnies, which had to drop €0,09 this week to €0,75 per kilo. In addition, the slaughterhouses hardly want to slaughter sows before Christmas, because the meat processing industry will purchase significantly less meat in the coming weeks.

The traders indicate that it will be a setback if pig prices follow the same direction as sow prices. The hope is that the price will not suffer any damage in the last weeks of the year; partly because the margins at the slaughterhouses appear to be good. At the same time, there is a large supply of pigs, so there is some pressure in the market.

Internet stock market continues to decline 
The change made by the Internet Exchange on Friday, December 14, does not yet give reason to expect a significant price correction. However, the quotation again reduces the price by €0,01 to €1,40 per kilo. The willingness to purchase is low, as only 4 of the 13 lots offered have been traded.