Pig price continues unchanged

Prices on the Dutch pig market stabilized this week at €1,48 per kilo.

Until recently, there was still some positive sentiment. The DCA exchange price, which serves as the target price, regularly recorded gains of about a cent in recent weeks. This indicates that some traders still believe prices have not yet reached their peak. This week, however, the price remained at a stable level.

This is partly due to a disappointing result on the meat markets. Due to a price drop in hams, tenderloins, and cheeks, the average carcass price of the pig fell by 0,31 cents. An increase in neck prices was not sufficient to compensate for this price decline.

These weak results are certainly not what the market had hoped for. Due to the onset of spring, it was expected that the price of pork would actually rise a few steps, but in practice, the weather is throwing a spanner in the works.

At first glance, the sunny weather might seem favorable for consumption, but in practice, it is still too cold to really give the market a boost. It is still too cold in the evenings for people to enjoy sitting on a terrace, and barbecuing is currently more for enthusiastic hobbyists than for the general public.

Slaughter rate picks up
Meanwhile, the slaughter figure has clearly risen again after a sharp dip around Easter. In week 16, the slaughter figure dropped to 224.227 due to weak demand after Easter and a broken week. The following week, the number of slaughterings rose again to 267.646 pigs. The main question that needs to be asked here is whether this slaughter figure has increased because there was less capacity in the week of Easter, or whether the market will remain somewhat on the loose side in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, the piglet index fell so slightly in week 17 that the change is barely visible on a chart. On average, the price dropped by 3 cents that week. The expectation is that the piglet market will take a larger step downwards this week, as the DCA Best Piglet Price dropped by €1 this week.