The Irish pig price remains static at 1.56/kg-€1.60/kg. Pig farmers and processors are working closely to accommodate the closed production days over the festive period, but there remains very little room for any downtime in the processing of fit pigs in ROI. 12% of pigs produced in ROI continue to travel north across the border every week.
Regardless of a Brexit deal or no deal situation, the Northern Ireland protocol will see this trade of pigs and outlet for half a million ROI pigs annually remain open to the farmers suppling Karro in Cookstown. While the pig market in mainland Europe remains under massive pressure from restricted market access due to ASF in certain countries, Covid-19 restrictions and foodservice closures, combined with normal Christmas closures, it is going to keep the EU pig price at the low level around €1.30/kg. IFA will again highlight how vital it is for the pig sector to keep Ireland ASF free this week, in the Oireachtas Agricultural Committee meeting.
Ireland’s percentage of the EU price has improved and is currently 120% of the EU average price as reported to the EU Commission for the week commencing 30/11/2020.
Factory pig throughput in Republic of Ireland export plants for the week ending December 13th 2020 was 76,949 head which was 1811 more than the previous week and 1,170 more than in the corresponding week in 2019.
Export Plants: Top prices on a flat rate basis </= €1.56/kg – €1.58/kg in Rosderra and Kepak </=€1.58/kg – €1.62/kg in Cookstown, </= €1.58/kg – €1.60/kg in Dawn Pork & Bacon and</=€1.56/kg -€ 1.60/kg in Staunton’s.
Sows: €0.46-0.52c/kg DW.
Weekly Slaughtering’s: Week-ending 6/12/20 Pigs: 73,085 Sows:2,053
EU-27 PIGMEAT REFERENCE PRICE WK COMMENCING 30/11/20
Irish price: €1.56kg
EU–27 average price: €1.30kg
(Grade E pigs – 55% to 60% lean meat excluding VAT but including transport and bonuses).
