Cranswick and Karro withdraw from pig price sample

Two pork processors have withdrawn from the Deadweight Average Pig Price system (DAPP), but BPEX remains confident of producing a robust sample price.


Cranswick Country Foods and Karro Food Group told BPEX last week they would stop contributing to the survey of gross prices paid by abattoirs for pigs during the previous week.


Many processors use that historic price to help determine the future price for their contracts and the UK is obliged to provide a pig reference price for the EU to make policy decisions.


BPEX has said it can still gather a strong sample price by using data from the processors left and asking producers what they were paid.


“The remaining sample price is robust – it is pretty much the same price,” said BPEX head of communications Andrew Knowles.


“We are working with marketing groups as an alternative source of price data, with the view that we can potentially repopulate the sample.


“We have not had any notification of anyone else looking to pull out, but we are not going to be resting on our laurels.”


Submissions to the DAPP will now cover about 40-47% of the GB weekly kill.


The companies and abattoirs still contributing voluntarily are H G Blake, Cheale Meats, F A Gill, Tulip, Dunbia, Woodhead Bros and Lamberts.


Lizzie Press, acting general manager of the National Pig Association, said she was comfortable with BPEX’s contingency plan.


“We are more than happy with that,” she said. “It is imperative that the DAPP continues.


“BPEX will work on the smaller sample and we are fully in support.


“Tulip should be praised for sticking with the DAPP and continuing to submit.”


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