Over the past few days, supply has increased to such an extent that it now exceeds the slaughter companies’ demand in many countries. Throughout Europe, quotations are reported to remain unchanged for this week.

In Spain, the immense pressure on pig prices is being blamed on seasonality. For the first time since February, corrected Spanish quotations have dropped below the German price level. According to reports, the meat business predominantly continued to be unchanged recently. However, a clear drop in prices was seen for pork neck cuts.

But recent rises in producer prices are unfortunately not matching the enormous increase in feed costs - seen throughout the world.

Hope for pig price increases now rests with the export market. Apart from traditional destinations such as Eastern Europe, Russia and Japan, China is now being primed as an importer. Besides Denmark, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany are in negotiation with China to increase trade.