There was no change in Irish pig prices last Friday with producers reporting an average price of circa €2.28/kg due to continued unannounced increases over the past number of weeks. Some producers are receiving up to 4c/kg above the average, indicating strong market demand for pigs born and reared in the Republic of Ireland, as well as heightened competition pigs among processors.
The EU average price for week 20 for grade E carcass was 207.9.c/kg excluding vat. This is .7% higher than the previous week but is representative of an 3.1% increase on last month’s prices and is -5% behind prices for the same month last year.
The weekly throughput for pigs for week ending the 25th of May was 64835 of which 63161 were fattener pigs and 1673 were sows.
Grain prices dropped sharply this week in both Europe and the U.S., following a downturn in North American markets. On Euronext, wheat fell to €201/t and corn slipped below €200/t. Rapeseed briefly hit €490/t before retreating. Weather remains a key watchpoint, with storms and rising temperatures expected. In the U.S., wheat, corn, and soybean prices all fell after markets reopened post-holiday. Soybean planting is now 76% complete—above the five-year average. Despite this, prices are down, and crop conditions will be closely watched in the coming weeks.
