How were the slaughter figures in January?

The slaughter figures and prices of January 2020 are all about records. In the past 12 years, such a large number of pigs have never been sold before in the fourth week of 2020. The average weight also reached a record high in the third week.

This means that production follows the DCA Stock Exchange Price 2.0, which reached a record of €2019 per kilo of slaughtered weight in December 1,95. The average percentage of meat is the only one that - with the exception of 2 peaks in 2019 - scores worse than the 5-year average.

High price predominates
In the first week of this year the figures were still in the usual Christmas dip. A total of 252.000 pigs were slaughtered with an average weight of 100,5 kilos and an average meat percentage of 58,7%. Sales are 3.000 more than the first week of 2019, but almost 20.000 pigs less than the 5-year average. The pigs were slaughtered this week according to the DCA Stock Exchange Price 2.0 at an average price of €1,872 per kilo. This price is immediately the highest price quoted in January.

Heavy pigs, high prices and enormous sales
Week 2 was dominated by a sharp increase in the number of slaughters and heavy pigs. The increase is a periodic phenomenon. The pigs that were not slaughtered in the period between Christmas and New Year will be slaughtered this week. This not only resulted in more pigs, but also in heavier pigs.

A total of 320.000 pigs were sold at an average weight of 101,4 kilos. Sales were the same as last year and 10.000 more than the 5-year average. The weight, on the other hand, made a big jump with 1 kilo more than January 2019 and even a good 2 kilos more than the 5-year average. The average percentage of meat here remained the same as the previous week 

Weight dominates
Record pig weights dominated the third week of this year. In the history of the DataView, an average weight of 101,5 kilos has never been reached before. Only week 7 of 2019 came close in the past 11 years with an average weight of 101 kilos. The average weight was even 3,43 kilos above the 5-year average.

A larger number of pigs were slaughtered this week than the week before, the total being 325.000 pigs. The average percentage of meat was 58,8%, equal to the percentage of 2019, but below the 5-year average of 59,02%. The average DCA Stock Price 2.0 was lower at €1,718.

Record sales in week 4
Week 4 marks record sales. In the past 12 years of tracking pig slaughter sales, never have so many pigs been slaughtered in one week. The number came to 328.000 pigs. The average weight of the pigs fell to 101,2 kilos. This is still well above the 5-year average of 97,92 kilos and the 99,3 kilos of 2019 in the same week.

The average percentage of meat remained the same as that of the previous week, making it the same as the 2019 average and still well below the 5-year average.

Price rises, everything else falls
The calm in the slaughter figures seems to have returned in week 5. The average percentage of meat per pig is slowly returning to the 5-year average of 58,9%, but still has some way to go. The slaughter weight shows a relatively sharp decline from 101,2 kilos to 100,6 kilos, but still remains well above the 5-year average. Sales are still high at 323.000 pigs, but are slowly returning to an average level.