Inside Pigs
Pig slaughter rate tumbles down
It is not a lie that the pig supply is tight. In the Netherlands, the slaughter figure has now even reached an all-time low. However, the pig market has lost its momentum. How come?
Read this article?
Become a subscriber and get instant access
Choose the subscription that suits you
In the Netherlands, 262.000 pigs were slaughtered last week, with an average weight of 95,80 kilos. This is 30.000 fewer pigs than the week before. Not since 2015 have so few pigs been slaughtered in a full slaughter week. The slaughter figure is almost 5% below the 2018 level and the 5-year average.
In Germany, 854.578 pigs were slaughtered. This is extremely little for a full week, because the slaughter capacity usually exceeds 1 million in such a week. Compared to the 5-year average, there is a decrease of approximately 6%.
Hauspreise at Tönnies
The tight supply is driving higher pig prices. For example, the German VEZG quotation has increased by €0,03 to €1,88 per kilo. However, this move was not followed by Tönnies and Vion Germany, because the slaughterhouses are using a Hauspreise this week at €1,85 per kilo. Tönnies' argument is that meat prices cannot keep up with pork prices. They say that the euphoria about the good sales opportunities in China has been exaggerated.
In addition, Tönnies sees a growing pig supply due to the milder temperatures in Northwestern Europe. The Hauspreise in Germany takes the pig market out of the good flow. The Internet Exchange corrected on Friday, August 16, by €0,02 to €1,91 per kilo. 14 of the 18 lots offered were traded.