News Pigs
Pig prices in Spain fall, Chinese market remains open
Due to the outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) in Spain, pig and piglet prices were revised downwards on Monday. Spanish Agriculture Minister Luis Planas announced Monday evening that the Chinese market will remain open to Spanish pork.
Update: Tuesday 8:15 am
Planas met with a delegation from the Spanish pig sector on Monday evening to discuss the consequences of the outbreak. During this meeting, the minister announced that China had accepted the regionalization agreement with Spain. There had been some uncertainty about this, as the agreement between Spain and China had only recently been concluded and the details were not yet fully finalized.
This means that the Chinese market remains open for Spanish pork, with the exception of meat products from the province of Barcelona where end of last week ASF has been detected in wild boar. This is important news, as sales to China accounted for 42% of Spanish pork exports outside the EU in 2024, generating €1,1 billion for the Spanish economy. Sales outside Europe generated a total of €3,7 billion last year. In the first three quarters of 2025, this figure was €2,9 billion, according to Eurostat figures.
The minister further emphasized in the conversation that two-thirds of the Spanish export certificates for pork are still active. He promised that his ministry is working to ensure that the certificates for which restrictions apply be lifted as soon as possible.
Pig and piglet prices down
Nevertheless, the pressure on the pig market remains high. The pig price fell by €0,10 to €1,20 per kilo on Monday. This is an interim reduction, as Spain normally changes prices on Thursdays. Based on market input, this represents the "mildest" scenario. A reduction of €0,30 was also a possibility, as was reported earlier today. However, this doesn't mean the bottom has been reached. Gradual reductions may be implemented in the coming weeks to avoid further fueling the current market unrest. The Spanish piglet price is falling by €5 to €31 per head.
DCA BestPigletPrice unchanged
In the Netherlands, the DCA BestPigletPrice remains high this week unchangedThe uncertainty in the market today was too great to logically implement a price reduction, so many traders opted for unchanged prices to maintain as much calm as possible. Market pressure is high now that the Netherlands, its largest market for piglets, is seeing its prices disappear, as Spanish integrations are canceling their deliveries en masse. Due to the imposed export bans on Spanish pork, less slaughter is likely. Consequently, additional barn capacity is needed.
On average, over 50.000 Dutch piglets are shipped to Spain every week. Alternative markets must be found quickly for these pigs. With the Christmas holidays approaching, this presents a challenging challenge.
Wouter Job
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