Pig prices stable amid market uncertainty

25 March 2020

The EU-spec SPP was steady in the week ending 21 March, losing 0.07p to average 163.15p/kg. To say demand in the UK has been unsettled would be an understatement. Responses put in place to battle the coronavirus have led eating out volumes to drop dramatically, while retail purchases have risen sharply.

EU pork exports remain strong

25 March 2020

EU pig meat exports remain elevated moving into 2020, as more product continues to be sent to China.

UK pig herd largest in 16 years

25 March 2020

According to Defra, UK pig numbers on the 1 December totalled 4.7 million head.

Feed grain report (March 2020) 21/02 – 20/03

24 March 2020

The impact of the coronavirus pandemic has dominated global markets over the past month, and it remains a fast changing situation. Crude oil prices have tumbled below $30/barrel as the pandemic hits global economic growth and transport, reducing demand for oil.

Mixed performance for GB breeding herd during 2019

24 March 2020

The latest Agrosoft physical performance data shows that GB breeding productivity improved year-on-year in the 12-months ending December 2019. However, this was driven by better performance early in 2019.

Coronavirus: impact on dairy and livestock markets?

19 March 2020

Markets are quickly adjusting to the changes to normal consumer behaviour brought about by the spread of coronavirus. All farms and food businesses will be impacted by the rapidly changing market conditions. How they are affected, and the severity of the impact, will vary according to the markets they operate in and their specific product mix.

Although it will be a while before demand shifts are seen in official numbers, the following summarises the anecdotal evidence picked up so far.

Strong finished pig prices support producer margins in Q4

19 March 2020

Finished pig prices continued to rise in the final quarter of the 2019, returning producers to the largest positive margin since Q3 2017.

How is the coronavirus affecting Italy’s pork market?

19 March 2020

It seems that Italy is being hit particularly hard by the coronavirus outbreak. Unfortunately, we won’t have official data concerning slaughter, trade and domestic demand for some time. However, we do have some early indications about how the disease is affecting the supply chain in Italy.

Another little lift for the SPP

18 March 2020

The SPP recorded another modest increase in the week ending 14 March. The EU-spec SPP averaged 163.22p/kg, 0.17p more than the previous week.

EU pork production picks up year on year in December, lower in 2019 overall

18 March 2020

The EU-28 (including the UK) produced 1.98 million tonnes of pig meat in December, according to data from Eurostat. This was 4% higher year on year, with 21.4 million pigs slaughtered. This brings the annual total for production to 23.7 million tonnes, 1% (132,000 tonnes) lower than in 2018. 256 million pigs were slaughtered in the year, 1% fewer than in 2018.