The national pig kill returned to a normal 5 day working week, and the throughput was 66,198 last week. Total throughput for 2019 is 2% down in Ireland year to date, which is reflective of the EU as a whole.
Coupled with the increased demand from export markets, this has driven pig prices to today’s levels. Farmers report prices of €1.78c/kg this week, with upward pressure on prices continuing. Deals have been reported up to €1.82c/kg for some pigs this week. Taking the first 24 weeks of the year, the price that pig farmers have received has average just €1.50c/kg. This is only the breakeven figure that is required for a sustainable pig sector in Ireland. The current good pig price will need to be maintained for the long term in order for the sector to repay financial losses sustained over the previous 2 years.
