Accordingly, the average slaughter weights are decreasing there. The French quotation also went up clearly by + 4 cents (compared with last week’s prices) with supply being scarce. In Denmark, a 3 cents’ price increase was quoted. Prices are reported to remain unchanged in Belgium, Austria and Germany. In the Netherlands alone, a slight price reduction (- 1 cent) was noted. After the German quotation had taken one of the top positions within the European ranking list over the past three weeks, it now is ranks in midfield only. As to the five most important pork producers’ price ranking, Spain and France take the lead whereas the Netherlands rank last.

This week as well, strike prices of EUR 1.56 are again announced to be made by the same German slaughter companies as last week. This way, the price falls by 4 cents below the quotation given by the "Vereinigung der Erzeugergemeinschaften" (VEZG; producers’ association). Last week the companies making strike prices had to accept considerable reductions in the number of slaughtered animals. Since no significant increase in supply is expected this week, too, the companies demanding strike prices will be avoided to the greatest possible extent. Given their prices, those companies will not be supplied with quantities worth mentioning of pigs mature for slaughter from the Netherlands and from Denmark, too.

Trend for the German market: The steady price level found throughout Europe might as well get valid for Germany. Currently it remains questionable whether or not strike prices can be enforced across the whole of Europe, because the scarce supply of live pigs still is a very decisive factor for pricing.

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; farm-gate-price; 79 per cent killing out percentage, without value-added-tax (VAT)