The time is ripe for rising pig prices

In the pig market, prices are beginning to rise. The DCA Beurs Mutation Price reflects this. Also in the Netherlands, higher slaughter prices are expected this week, despite the resistance further down the supply chain. Meanwhile, piglet prices are rising rapidly. The supply is getting tighter by the week, according to market sources. The pig backlog that caused pressure earlier this year has now disappeared. Slaughter numbers have been stable around 290,000 pigs over the past weeks, but a decline is on the horizon. Last week, the average slaughter weight dropped by 2.4 kilograms to 98.9 kilograms. Thus, the pigs in February are the lightest since 2018. This underscores that the market is clearing quickly, although traders may not always recognize the trend on an individual level. Piglet price pushes pig market In Germany, the VEZG piglet price rises by €3 to €41.50 per piglet. Such a jump is unusual when pig prices are also rising. The rapid increase seems to be linked to the expectation that the German pig price will also go up this week. The higher Internet auction points in that direction. The market expects an increase of up to 5 cents, despite the resistance from slaughterhouses, including market leader Tönnies. Dutch slaughterhouses clearly quote below the German level and seem unwilling to move on their own. Germany remains the key. In Belgium, Danis has already broken the deadlock with an increase of 3 cents. The DCA Exchange Mutation price rises this week by 5 cents in anticipation that the initiated trend will also be picked up here. DCA BestPigletPrice rises Meat pig keepers are eagerly awaiting higher pig prices, even though it is still early in the season. The rapidly rising piglet prices are putting further pressure on. Due to strong foreign demand, particularly from Spain and Germany, piglet costs are rising quickly. The DCA BestPigletPrice increases by €4 to €43 per piglet. Historically, the spring rise will last for about five more weeks.