Dear readers,

Again, tough situation, but some good news:

• The #ElCerdoEsLoMejor(The pig is the best) campaign , started in July in Mexico, is dedicated to inform about all the good things about this protein, from its aspects nutrition, gastronomic variety, its versatility, curiosities and even consumption tips .The effort, promoted by Porcicultura.com together with Bachoco, Cargill and Virbac has reached an audience of over 9 million people and is launching its second video
• The Mexican Institute of Pig Farming (IMP) presented a national campaign project for the consumption of pork for the next decade. Maybe we can learn something from Mexico…
• A survey from Ireland shows that 40% of consumers are planning to reduce their intake of alternative meat products. The finding comes despite 61% of shoppers saying that they have or are intending to increase their intake of plant-based products in the next six months. The survey, conducted by the UK and the US by plant-based Strong Roots company on 1,000 consumers across Ireland, , found that 51% of respondents preferred to eat traditional meat, while 47% said they do not like the taste of “fake meats”. Also, more than a third are afraid that such products are overly processed, while artificial additives were a concern for 36%.

Events calendar

• The „Země živitelka” takes place for the 49th time on 6 days from Thursday, 24.08.2023 to Tuesday, 29.08.2023 in České Budějovice, Czech Republic.

The fair is focusing on the agricultural and food sector. Its name translates literally to „Earth, the Nourisher,” aptly reflecting the fair’s core themes.

• The Agra Fair takes place annually at the Pomurski Sejem, an exhibition center in the Slovenian city of Gornja Radgona. Exhibitors and visitors meet for the 61st time on the Agra on 6 days from Saturday, 26.08.2023 to Thursday, 31.08.2023

In the Land of the Pig, the Butcher Is King

            Again, regardless to the number of the pigs, the quotation decreased in Germany. There are not enough pigs for the slaughtering capacity, people are returning from holiday, school starts again, so why not put the farmers under pressure, instead of negotiating harder with the market chains and close unnecessary slaughterhouses?

            Obviously, the piglet prices had to fall, and the continuous reduction of the market hog price, combined wit the late harvest in Germany, leaves many barns empty, with farmers concerned of the profitability of fattening.

            What can the German farmers do? Look for direct sales of their livestock to countries with higher prices, as it could be seen on the livestock transport chat groups in the last days.

            Worth observing that in the east of Europe the price reduction is lower than the German, the lack of available pigs is better used by the local farmers in  the negotiation with the slaughterhouses.

            All European countries report lower slaughtering numbers, mostly between 10-20%. Most of the slaughtering plants adapt to 4 working days per week. Worth observing that the minus 20 cents of the Germans has been “translated” to only 4 in Spanish and had almost no effect on the Italian prices. Then why, in the land of the pig, the butcher is the king?

European pig and piglet prices: HW= Hot weight; L= live weight;

COUNTRY	PIG(EUR)	TREND	PIGLET(EUR)	TREND	OBSERVATION
GERMANY	2,30 HW		80/25 kg
NETHERLANDS	2,11-2,32 HW		69/25 kg
BELGIUM	1,66 L		63,5/20 kg
DANEMARK	1,81 HW		79/25 kg
FRANCE	2,168 L
ITALY	1,96 L 115kg, 2,28 L 160kg, DOC		132,5/30 kg
SPAIN	1,97 -1,99 L		81-90/20kg
PORTUGAL	2,72 HW
AUSTRIA	2,27 HW		95/25 kg
POLAND	1,45-2,02 L		77-121/20-30 kg		Partner info; no quotation
CROATIA	2,05-2,51 HW		110 / 25 kg		Partner info; no quotation
SERBIA	2,20-2,25 L		110-131/ 25 kg		Partner info; no quotation
CZECH R.	2,29 – 2,37 HW		75,5-83/ 25 kg		Partner info; no quotation
SLOVAKIA	1,92 -1,97 L		100-105/25 kg		Partner info; no quotation
HUNGARY	1,95 – 2,06 L		100-105/ 25 kg		Partner info; no quotation
ROMANIA	1,97 – 2,10 L		100-105/25kg		Partner info; no quotation