Last weeks kill of 66,589 pigs is the first, uninterrupted production week that did not exceed 70,000 pigs, indicating that the backlog of factory fit pigs that had built up on most farms has been cleared.
While there was no good news last Friday from any pig processor regarding a much-needed price increase, at least pig factory procurement managers are having to make sure their weekly kill is secure, rather cancelling pigs into the following week. The price pig farmers are receiving remains in the range of €1.38-1.42c/kg. While the price is poor, positive signs of price increases in Germany and Denmark indicate that the tide may be about to turn on the pigmeat market across Europe. The Chinese import market has not shown the much-anticipated improvement as yet, but this import global player is predicted to drive a much improved pig meat market as 2019 progresses.
