Overweight pigs fetch 70p/kg as humane culling starts

Crowded farms have received as little as 70p/kg for “distress loads” of overweight pigs as the sector deals with a shortfall of 12,000 butchers and humane killing begins.

Some pigs up to 140kg liveweight have sold for 70-100p/kg, been butchered into six primal cuts and exported to China, Poland and the Philippines.

Such pigs are about 30kg overweight and completely unprofitable, but for many farms, having to roll 25% of finishers each week is preferable to having pigs humanely culled.

See also: Labour shortage may force cull of healthy pigs, warns NPA

Some units are facing 12 months of loss-making prices and have seen feed costs rise 30% and pig prices fall 20% since July.

At present, latest AHDB costings figures suggest a standard pig price of 144p/kg means farms could be losing more than £26 a pig on in-spec animals.

National Pig Association chief executive Zoe Davies said the cabinet’s employment of former Tesco chief executive Dave Lewis last week was a much-needed positive step in the right direction.

Frome

Live markets have seen prices hold up relatively well in comparison, but Will Wallis, pig auctioneer at Frome, said rock-bottom prices had caused bidders to step away from the live market.

Mr Wallis said the price of imported pork was constantly putting pressure on UK prices.

“Why would a buyer come and pay over the odds at nearly 170p/kg deadweight when they can get pork at nearer 70p/kg?” he asked.  

Sow prices were still depressed, but most sows were still making more than £50 a head at Frome based on domestic demand, although pigs were still being exported.

The desperate situation in the pig market was awful to see. “We need to keep pestering our MPs and promoting British food. It’s all we can do,” he said.

Selby

Pig prices were under pressure at Selby, although pigs were still being processed, said Selby Livestock Auction Mart’s Richard Haigh.

He stressed that farmers who were moving pigs were very fortunate, underlining the dire straits some units were in.

“We’ve never not been able to sell prime pigs,” said Mr Haigh. “But the fat trade is not returning a great average at the moment.”

He said trade had been under pressure for a year or more and was currently 5-6p/kg back on last year. “Quite a lot of boar pigs are making 80-90p/kg, and while the trade actually firmed a little recently, we aren’t able to get vendors what they want,”  he said.