Slimmed down pig supply puts a damper on the market

In some years the pig market can surprise you in the late summer days. Although it has not yet arrived on the calendar, it does not look like upward movements will occur in September. However, we can report a tight pig supply in Northwest Europe, which means that the foundation of the market certainly feels quite solid.  

However, the demand for meat will have to increase to stimulate the market. Nice sunny weather is coming next week, so this may stimulate meat consumption. This would be a welcome development for the market, because all year round slaughterhouses and meat processors have been reporting disappointing sales. 

Slaughter weights down
The tight supply can also be seen in the slaughter figures. With 266.781 pigs, the slaughter figure is well below the level of last year and also the long-term average. The average slaughter weight also shows a clear downward trend. In weeks 31 and 32 the slaughter weight was even below 98 kilos. This is the lowest level since the end of 2022, while the pigs were still record heavy at the beginning of this year. The declining slaughter weight is also due to the incentive policy of various Dutch slaughterhouses. They have recently adjusted their payout schedules accordingly.

Since this week, stability has returned to the market. Based on the entries for the DCA Scholarship Award 2.0, this line will be continued next week. The quotation for slaughtered pigs remains at €1,94 per kilo. The price of live pigs remains at €1,53 per kilo.

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