Pig imports put UK prices under cosh
Pig imports put UK prices under cosh
UK PIG prices have been firmly under the cosh from imported meat in recent weeks, forcing the market below the £1/kg mark.
By July 7, pigs were trading at 107.6p/kg dw – the highest for the year. But this exceeded the EU reference price, triggering more imports of foreign meat, says the Meat and Livestock Commission.
During the same week, pork exports from the Netherlands more than doubled to 840t. Since then the UK pig price has been on a downward trend and one analyst expects this to continue by another 2p/kg this week.
"The good news is EU prices are picking up a bit in Holland and Spain. Pork is a commodity now and our market is totally dictated by prices across the Channel," says consultant Peter Crichton. *