The price of pork continued to fall this week in Plérin, but the drop did not reach 6 cents, as it had during the previous seven weeks. On 12 November, the session ended with a drop of 3,1 cents, the smallest for a Thursday since mid-September. The quotation therefore remains above the threshold of 1,40 €/kg, which has not been crossed since the beginning of 2022, before the war in Ukraine and the inflation shock. The week was marked by the public holiday, and although some slaughtering was brought forward, with more activity on Monday and Tuesday, overall activity is expected to be slower.
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No disruption to slaughtering in Spain
In Spain, although a strike at slaughterhouses had been announced, negotiations led to an agreement between employers and the union. The call for a strike was suspended; a disruption to operations could have put further pressure on a market that was already oversupplied.
Stable pork prices in Germany and the Netherlands
In Germany, the quotation was maintained once again, resulting in overall stability in the Northern European markets. This is the season when consumption rises, and prices that are much more attractive than those of beef could boost consumption. But these positive signs are slow to materialize, according to German operators. Fresh meat activity is considered quiet and sluggish. Only charcuterie and cured-meat producers working with winter products are buying more.
The average price of pork in Europe fell by 13,4 % year on year, according to the European Commission, while slaughterings increased by 1,2 % over the first nine months of the year.