Piglet market is slowing down

The pressure on the piglet price continues to increase. Fattening pig farmers are reluctant to place new batches, while the broken slaughter weeks ahead are additionally slowing the market. As a result, the pig price is also under pressure, despite there still being demand for slaughter-ready animals. Although the piglet supply is not exceptionally large, the market is clearly moving into a lower gear. In the Netherlands, fattening pig farmers are holding back and demand is also declining from export markets. Spain remains an important sales market. In week 17 around 50,000 Dutch piglets were still exported. At the same time, price pressure is increasing. The Spanish piglet price fell by €8 to €57 per piglet in three weeks, which worsens the negotiating position of exporters. Traders are therefore increasingly pushing for lower quotations. Based on the submissions, the DCA BestPigletPrice falls this week by €2 to €54.50 per piglet. Unchanged DCA Beurs Mutation PriceThe downward pressure is related to the difficult development in the pig market. The outlook for price recovery is limited, which means stabilization currently seems the maximum achievable. This picture is confirmed by an unchanged DCA Beus Mutation Price. At the same time, there is no lack of demand from slaughterhouses. Due to the large number of quitters in the past year, capacity is more ample and there is a need for supply. However, demand for meat cuts remains weak, with lower prices for hams and middle cuts, according to the cut prices of DCA Market Intelligence. Only specific cuts, such as neck loins and spareribs, still show some (export) demand, leading to higher prices.