Pressure on Northern European poultry meat price continues

The European poultry meat market remains quite stable. Despite avian influenza, the availability of hatching eggs is fairly strong, keeping prices in Europe under control. Meanwhile, prices in Northern Europe are under slight pressure. On average, the European price in week 45 is just above €300 per 100 kilos, according to the weekly dashboard from the European Union. This means the average carcass price remains practically unchanged. In Northern Europe, there was still some price pressure until week 45. Despite the avian influenza, which is affecting poultry businesses on a large scale this year, the supply is somewhat stronger. This is a result of the recovery of Polish supply, leading to more competition in the Northern European market. Despite significant losses, prices in the Eastern European country have come under considerable pressure. Additionally, seasonal demand in winter is almost always weaker. As it gets colder, the demand for chicken almost always declines somewhat, benefiting pork and beef. This was the result of the recovery of the Polish hatching egg supply. Earlier this year, Poland was still dependent on the free market. Due to shortages from earlier avian influenza outbreaks, those prices were significantly higher than the contract prices. Now that Poland has things back in order, that price has flipped, and free market prices for hatching eggs are even below the average contract level. Livestock market declines less sharply In Belgium (the most representative benchmark, as the Netherlands does not report prices), the average price has fallen below €250 per 100 kilos. Compared to the peak in week 38, the average carcass price has decreased by 6.8%. Looking at the poultry market, we can see that the price is still declining, although the pace is clearly slower. In the Netherlands, the average slaughter price decreased by just half a cent to €1.145 per kilo, according to the VNC quotation. In Belgium, the price remains stable at €1.25 per kilo. As a result, the Dutch free market price also remains unchanged at €1.19 per kilo.