September 22, 2020

Breeding piglet prices in Germany drop following African swine fever discovery

German swine traders said breeding (weaner) piglet prices in the country have dropped sharply in the last few weeks following confirmed African swine fever (ASF) cases in Brandenburg state, Reuters reported.

One trader said farmers have become cautious about purchasing more breeding swine because of the uncertainty surrounding pork sales and pork exports due to ASF, adding that farmers in the Netherlands and Denmark that sell breeding piglets to Germany will also be affected.

VEZG, the German animal farming association said breeding piglet prices in the country were currently at EUR 27 (~US$31.69; EUR 1 = US$1.19) per piglet, compared to EUR 40 (~US$46.95) per piglet before the first ASF case was detected on September 10.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, prices were at EUR 80 (~US$93.89) per piglet in March.

Another trader said while piglet prices are stabilizing, the weak prices will affect piglet suppliers in the Netherlands and Denmark.

China, Japan, and South Korea have banned German pork imports, lowering German pork prices and creating uncertainty in pork demand.

-      Reuters