News Pigs
350.000 Danish pigs ready for slaughter on hold
The pig market is in turmoil due to the outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) in Germany and the corona crisis. Also in Denmark the pig market cannot escape the negative consequences and here too the market is in dire straits.
The ASF outbreak in Germany is causing emotions to run high. Germany is limited in its pork exports and there are hundreds of thousands of pigs hanging above the market. There is also a lot of tension in the market in the Netherlands and finding sales opportunities is a difficult process.
Lost export
The situation is not much different in Denmark. There is a large supply of piglets and slaughter pigs that pig farmers can hardly afford. The AVP outbreak in September was the first trigger. Under normal circumstances, around 120.000 Danish piglets go to Germany, but exports have now fallen to around 95.000 piglets per week, according to figures from The Association of Danish Pig Producers (DSP).
Corona takes it a step further
As in the Dutch market, the reduced export leads to oversupply and pressure on prices. In Denmark they are not only struggling with a loss of sales due to AVP, but there is also a loss of exports due to the corona crisis. In the meantime, 3 slaughterhouses are not allowed to export pork to China for the time being due to corona infections among staff members.
2 Danish Crown locations are affected by the export ban. In recent months, the company has deployed resources to limit the spread of the coronavirus. Partly as a result of these measures, approximately 250.000 pigs were slaughtered less than what was aimed for under normal circumstances.
Pig price makes a big difference
The DSP estimates that there are currently at least 350.000 pigs ready for slaughter on hold to be slaughtered. As a result of the difficult sales opportunities and large supply of fattening pigs, the Danish pig price had to drop sharply last week, namely about 7 cents per kilo of slaughter weight. Local market analysts fear even greater pressure on the European market now that Denmark is allowed to export less pork to China. This meat will now have to be sold elsewhere in Europe.
Chanti Oussoren
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