Carcase weights stabilise as SPP increases ease

In the week ending 13 August, the EU spec SPP rose by just short of 1p to 197.40p/kg. Although prices are still rising, the recent rate of growth has been more subdued than previous weeks. The SPP has increased by almost 4.5p over the last 4 weeks, whereas similar values were reported as weekly increases at points during the spring.

An estimated 167,000 pigs were slaughtered in the week, up 7,500 head on the previous week, but down 13,000 head from this time last year. Carcase weights increased by 690g this week to 87.83kg/head, counteracting the drop seen last week. It appears as though carcase weights may now be starting to settle after 6 months of decline. Average weights are now only 630g heavier than they were at this point last year and for the last 5 weeks, weights have been fluctuating between 87.88kg and 87.14kg.

The EU spec APP stood at 199.76p/kg for the week ending 6 August, a marginal increase from the week before. This narrowed the gap between the SPP and APP to 3.3p.

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