News Pig market
US pig stock shrinks faster than expected
Pig numbers in the United States have continued to fall in recent months, according to figures from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The American pig price is benefiting from this.
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On March 1, the US had 72,2 million pigs. This is 2% less than the same month a year earlier and 3% less compared to last December's count. A recovery is not in the offing in the coming months, as the number of sows has shrunk by 1,9% in one year to 6,09 million.
The contraction is larger than analysts had foreseen. What is also striking is that the production per sow is stagnating. The average number of live piglets per litter was 10,95 between December and February, compared to 10,94 in the same period a year earlier.
Price up fast
While European pig prices have recently risen sharply, the American Iowa/Minnesota quotations have been rising for some time. Between November and March, it rose from $1,20 to nearly $2,50 per kilo. Prices have been slowing down since mid-March. The US market is benefiting from strong domestic meat demand now that the corona crisis is over. In addition, neighboring Mexico imports large volumes. Pork stocks were therefore 6% below the level of the previous year last February.