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Pig production losses grow but brighter times ahead forecast

11th Mar 2019 / By Alistair Driver

Pig producers typically lost £7/head during the last quarter of 2018 but better times could finally be around the corner. 

The average GB cost of production stood at 156p/kg during the quarter, remaining at the highest level since 2013. This was unchanged on the previous quarter but 12p/kg up on the same period in 2017.

But pig prices continued to fall. The EU-spec APP averaged 148p/kg in the fourth quarter, 4p/kg down on the previous quarter and 9p/kg down on the last quarter of 2017.

The upshot is that producer margins fell to -8p/kg, equating to a loss of approximately £7 per pig sold. 

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