Pig market stable, but will it last?

The European pig market is moving between stability and a slight decline this week. In Northern Europe, prices remain stable, while there is slight price pressure in Southern Europe. The question is whether the Northern European market can bounce back in the coming weeks as consumers return from vacation. The European pig market has been stable to slightly declining over the past week, according to data from Eurostat. In Northern Europe, prices are largely unchanged; in Germany and Denmark, the quotes are virtually stable. Meanwhile, pressure is building in France and Spain due to the end of the tourist season. The Netherlands has not submitted any reports to the European Union this week. However, from the DCA market price, it appears that the pig price is stable again. For the sixth consecutive week, the quotation stands at €1.93 per kilo. Holiday period coming to an endThe slight price pressure in Southern Europe is not surprising. The last week of the summer vacation has now arrived. As consumers return to Northern Europe, demand in Southern Europe decreases, which puts pressure on meat prices. Usually, this leads to greater demand in Northern Europe, but little is noticeable so far. Sales remain moderate, which is not entirely surprising. Even if demand starts to pick up, it is unlikely to be immediately visible. Supermarkets are well stocked, so additional orders are currently absent. Whether a revival will follow now that consumers are returning will only become clear in a few weeks. The Netherlands remains a dissonanceOne of the reasons that European pig prices remain under pressure is the slight recovery of supply in large parts of the continent. In various countries, production is higher than last year, when Northern European production was clearly at a low point. This applies, among other things, to the United Kingdom, Denmark, and Germany. Germany publishes weekly figures, showing an increase of 2.5% compared to the same week in 2024. However, the Netherlands forms a dissonance in the whole. The number of slaughters remains clearly below the expected level. In week 32, just under 254,000 pigs were slaughtered.