GB pig prices are continuing to fall week-on-week, but the decline is steady according to the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB).
The EU-spec standard pig price (SPP) for the week ending December 16 sat at 214.65p/kg, down by 0.40p from the previous week.
This is 14.5p above the price at the beginning of the year but represents a 11p drop from the highs in August.
The EU-spec all pig price (APP) is also falling steadily, AHDB said, sitting at 215.5p/kg for the week ending December 9.
“However, this is 1.51p growth from the previous week but follows the overall trend of declining prices since the end of September,” AHDB red meat analyst, Isabelle Shohet, said.
“The UK tracks closely with the EU prices which have seen similar declines, but with steeper falls.
“The EU reference price for the week ending December 17 sat at 181.86p/kg, with a drop of 0.63p from the previous week.”
Pig meat production
As well as pig prices, pig meat production remains below levels seen last year, with November production sat at 85,200t.
“Although this is a slight elevation of 2,500 tonnes (3%) from the previous month, driven by increased slaughter, it is a fall of 3,200 tonnes (3.6%) from November 2022,” Shohet said.
AHDB said the increased production may be a result of more shoppers choosing to eat gammon over Christmas.
Clean pig slaughter numbers have grown to 910,500 head in November, an increase of 2.6% from October with reports of pigs being brought forward ahead of Christmas according to AHDB.
However, numbers are down 45,900 head (4.8%) from the same time last year and 36,100 head (3.8%) behind the five-year average, as the population of fattening pigs continues to decline.
Clean pig slaughter year to date (Jan – Nov) sits at 9.28m head, a drop of 9% (930,000 head) from the same period in 2022.
Imports
Pig meat imports for October sat at just above 70,000t, as increases came from imports of bacon, sausages and fresh/frozen pork.
Total fresh/frozen pork imports grew by 1,865t, as bacon imports grew by nearly 1,200t, and sausages were up 1,100t from the previous month.
Shohet said imports from the EU continue to be competitive as prices remain lower.
“On the year, volumes grew in all categories except bacon which saw a 255t decline, fresh/frozen pork saw an increase of 2,180t as our domestic production has declined and imports are needed to keep up with demand,” she said.
Exports
Domestic production has fallen year-on-year and GB export capacity has been limited, AHDB said.
Exports totalled 27,140t for October. This is a fall of 1,320t from 2022, with a near 1,900t fall in offal exports.
“The fall in export volumes from last October mainly came from China, as volumes fell by 590t,” Shohet said.
“Volumes also fell in key EU trading partners such as Germany, France and Belgium as demand has been easing on the continent.
“However, export volumes increased from September, up almost 3,500t (15%), as volumes grew to China by over 2,000t.”
