This week ISN (Interessengemeinschaft der Schweinehalter Deutschlands) reports unchanged quotations and a feeling of unease in markets with declining quantities of market-ready pigs.

The quotations remain unchanged in the Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium, France, and in Austria this week. The German leading quotation is still treading water week after week resulting in criticism and resignation from market members. This is because the quantities of pigs for slaughter on offer have clearly been declining in Germany until most recently, meeting unbroken demand on the part of the livestock marketers.

After the Netherlands very cautiously stepped up with their slight increase last week, compared with most other EU member countries, the Spanish quotation appears to be up marginally by 0.5 cents this week. In Spain the quantities of live pigs on offer will also start to decrease. All in all, the Spanish are maintaining their corrected 1.36 euros per kg slaughter weight, thus keeping the top rank in the European price structure of the five EU member countries most significant in pig keeping.

Market participants in France are complaining about the continually high quantities of pigs for slaughter on offer. Positive impulse is expected to result from the positive price development observed in Germany. The market participants in mainland UK are still hoping for stronger demand at the beginning of the month.

Trend for the German market

Compared with last week’s values, the market situation is so far unchanged. On the local pigs-for-slaughter market, the quantities of live pigs on offer continue to be scarce. The belated increase of quotations may now be unstoppable.