The quotations were not able to withstand the pressure which was imposed on them by the German slaughter companies in particular. So the prices fell in all European countries. In view of the substantial quantities of pigs ready for the slaughter still on supply in many European countries, the producers can do little to oppose the pressure.

The quotations’ ranking has also changed over the past weeks. Spain, for instance, was displaced downward from the top position by Great Britain, whereas Belgium now ranks last on the table. The price decreases mostly range from 3 to 5 cents. In Austria, a most considerable 7-cents’ minus was reported on, which is said to be caused by low-priced German meat imports. The Danish quotation fell by 3 cents for the first time after many weeks. Yet, the price is European average, even noted above the French and Belgian prices.

Trend: After the past weeks’ considerable price decreases, the European pig keepers expect the downswing of prices to be ended soon. The slaughter companies, however, refer to the unsatisfactory revenues achieved in meat sales. The Western European market is considerably burdened by the still voluminous exports towards Eastern Europe. Through commercial transactions of such kind, the clear downturn of quotations more than compensates the negative influence the strong euro has.

Explanation
¹corrected quotation: The official Quotations of the different countries are corrected, so that each quotation has the same base (conditions).
base: 56 per cent lean-meat-percentage; farm-gate-price; 79 per cent killing-out-percentage, without value-added-tax (VAT)