There was a further decrease of 4c/kg in Irish pig prices last Friday paid to producers for this week’s pigs, with farmers reporting returns of ranging from €1.90-1.94/kg in the Republic, while higher prices were achieved in the North. This latest drop is putting further pressure on already tight farm margins.
The average price for grade E carcasses in week 40 stood at 186.7/kg (excluding VAT), which is -0.7% behind the previous week and is -6.5% behind prices last month. This is also -7.7% lower than the same period last year.
The throughput reported by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine for week ending the 12th of October was 64,672, of which 1,797 were sows.
According to Agritel, good weather across France is speeding up fieldwork — corn and industrial crop harvesting, plus barley and wheat sowing, are all moving fast. Corn prices are also firming, supported by poor yields in drought-hit areas and solid demand within the EU.
In contrast, rapeseed is slipping, following lower oil and vegetable-oil prices amid concerns over global growth and trade tensions between the US and China. US grain markets are trying to recover after recent losses, but trade-war worries continue to weigh on confidence. Export figures show corn shipments up 65 % on last year, while soybeans remain 26 % lower.
