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 €1.86-1.90/kg in the Republic. This latest drop is putting further pressure on already tight farm margins.
The average price for grade E carcasses in week 41 stood at 183.3/kg (excluding VAT), which is -1.6% behind the previous week and is -7.7% behind prices last month. This is also -8.7% lower than the same period last year.
The throughput reported by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine for week ending the 19th of October was 67,589, of which 1,772 were sows.
European grain markets began the week steady, with wheat holding between €188–190/t and corn near €184/t, supported by firm Black Sea prices and a weaker euro. Rapeseed is edging higher, taking cues from soybeans despite falling crude oil. In the US, grains are slightly firmer on optimism over upcoming Trump–Xi trade talks, with soybean exports rising sharply on the week.
