In many EU member countries, price decreases ranging from a corrected 3 to 8 cents need to be accepted this week, resulting from record quantities of pigs mature for slaughter being on offer. Such large quantities of pigs on offer are being used by the German slaughter industry as a means of exerting pricing pressure on the producers. Yet, although there are many media releases reporting on exports of Irish pork contaminated with dioxin, the consumers only sporadically show more careful buying behaviour.

In Spain, the prices remained unchanged, although export is not expected to be extensive towards the Christmas holidays. The most significant price decrease was reported on from Italy one week before, where prices dropped by 8 cents, going down to a corrected €1.49 per kg slaughter weight. But the new Italy quotation was unchanged. With its corrected €1.24 per kg slaughter weight (minus 7 cents), Sweden now is bottom of the table. The Dutch, Belgian and German prices had to give in by a corrected 6 cents. In Denmark, in contrast, the pigs-mature-for-slaughter price was unchanged.

The trend is expected to be unsettled for the next few days as a result of such large quantities of pigs mature for slaughter being on offer and because of limited slaughter opportunities with Christmas and New Year ahead.