There was no announced change to Irish pig prices this week with farmers receiving quotes of €1.90c/kg up to €1.94 or €1.92 to €1.96/kg. Some farmers who sold pigs to the north for slaughter received quotes of €2.00/kg. Farmers in ROI received similar quotes from ROI plants.
The average size farm is forecast to lose €360,000 for the 2022 12-month period, according to Teagasc. The increase in pig prices in recent weeks is certainly movement in the right direction but much more is needed for farmers to reach breakeven not to mention return to profitability. Farmers are still losing circa €25-30 per pig sold, which remains completely unsustainable. While grain prices are significantly down from the highs we saw in May, markets remain extremely volatile. Individual farmers’ feed cost on a c/kg basis will vary at present, depending on whether you purchase feed from a mill, or are home milling, and how you have bought forward. Teagasc estimates that feed costs are circa. €1.69/kg.
Meanwhile, there were two new cases of African Swine Fever (ASF) detected on farms in Germany in the past week. The cause is unknown.
The first is in Lower Saxony, on a farm with 280 pigs. The second affected 1,500 piglets in Emsland. Lower Saxony is a region with very strong pig production and in the 10km buffer zone there are 296 farms with around 195,000 pigs. The case is around 15km from the Dutch border.
The other case has been found in the eastern state of Brandenburg. The farm is located in Uckermark and should have kept around 1,300 fatteners.