About 100 live-pig buyers protested against mainland-owned Ng Fung Hong, the main supplier to Hong Kong, for switching from the usual allocation system to auction, pushing up prices from HK$1,200 to HK$1,990 per 100 catties at one point. One catty equals 605 grams.

Many buyers have been left empty- handed with soaring prices and limited supply, which is down to about 60 percent of the city's daily consumption of between 4,000 and 5,000 pigs.

Ng Fung Hong was unavailable for comment yesterday.

Traders described such short supply as rare for this time of the year, leading to speculation that a supplier is hoarding stock to push up prices.

Mok Yiu-nam, who managed to get 70 pigs for his stores in Yuen Long at HK$1,500 per 100 catties yesterday - about HK$200 above the usual price - told The Standard the atmosphere at the auction was very tense. "The prices were pushed up so high that small buyers couldn't afford them," he said.