Pig prices in Poland keep falling, hitting lowest level since mid-July
Prices offered by Polish slaughterhouses for pigs have dipped slightly to their lowest since mid-July. According to a survey by the agricultural portal Farmer, farmers are getting about 5.85 zlotys per kilogram on average.
Prices paid to farmers for slaughter pigs in Poland continued to decline on 23 October, according to a survey by the agricultural portal Farmer. They are the lowest since mid-July, and buyers expect them to stay very low in the near term, which affects pig producers.
What happened to prices
Last week the German association VEZG, which sets a recommended price for slaughter pigs, lowered it to 1.40 euros per kilogram for an animal with 57 percent lean meat content. At the current exchange rate, the cut amounted to roughly 20–25 grosz (hundredths of a zloty). The drop was not passed on proportionally to the Polish market, but prices still eased slightly.
Farmer's survey shows Polish slaughterhouses offering 5.60–6.10 zlotys net per kilogram for class E pigs (under the WBC classification), with an average of around 5.85 zlotys per kilogram. That is about 10 grosz less than in the previous survey. Live-weight prices also fell: purchasing points pay 4.00–5.00 zlotys net per kilogram, averaging 4.40 zlotys, again roughly 10 grosz lower than before.
Situation at purchasing points
Representatives of buying companies describe the situation as fairly balanced. At this time last year, farmers sometimes had to wait up to two weeks to sell their animals. This year the supply of pigs is clearly lower, so purchasing proceeds without delay.
At the same time, there is no sign of increased demand for pork. This suggests that prices will probably stay at their current, very low level in the near future.
