EU weaner prices calming

By Hannah Clarke

In the week ending 22 March 2020, the EU average weaner price (excluding UK) stood at €72.56/head, up nearly €8/head since the start of the year.

The price would typically strengthen in the first quarter of the year, but it has been performing particularly well over the last few months, after a strong finish to 2019. The price has since dipped from a peak of €74.65/head in the week ending 15 March, but is still up around €25/head on the year and the five-year average.

Reports from AMI, an agricultural market information company in Germany, suggest that piglet demand has calmed recently on the continent, influenced somewhat by an easing in EU finished pig prices. Supply and demand for finished pigs and piglets is reportedly more balanced now, following surges in consumer demand and panic buying a few weeks ago.

Price rises in several key producing nations have supported the overall EU price. Since the start of the year, weaner prices (per head) have risen as follows:

• Netherlands: +€4.25
• Belgium: +€3.00
• Spain: +€10.57
• Germany: +€7.60
• Denmark: +€2.54
• Poland: +€14.66
• France: +€1.00

Although data is still scarce at the moment, you can read our summary of what we know so far about the COVID-19 situation in some of the EU countries that export pork to the UK.

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