There was little change to Irish pig prices for the past two weeks, with a cent here and there gained. More and more farmers are now receiving €1.80c/kg, and up to 4c/kg more is being paid by some processors, but €1.80c/kg is now the average Irish pig price.
Demand from China, which has been the main driver of European pig prices over the past 3 months, is stable, and as predicted by the EU Commission trade report in April, it may be into quarter 3 of the year before demand for imports into China peaks. It is worth noting that the effect that ASF has had on the Chinese domestic pig market will be reciprocated in neighbouring Asian countries which have fallen to the epidemic after China. The outlook for EU pigmeat and pig prices remains positive, as long as European and Irish authorities succeed in containing the threat and spread of ASF.
