EU pig prices move ahead as breeding herd shrinks
The production decline is affecting finished pig supplies, helping to push EU pig prices so far in 2009 to 3% ahead of year earlier levels.
The most significant falls in production are forecast for countries such as Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary, where production in the early part of 2009 could be down by as much as 20%. This increases their import demand, especially for cheaper cuts. There are significant pig herd reductions also in countries such as Spain and Denmark, and British pig numbers have been in steady decline over recent years. In their latest summer census, the number of replacement gilts had fallen 12%, indicating that further contraction is expected.
