Analysis Meat
Chicken meat market continues to perform the strongest
The meat markets are in decent shape now that the holidays are over. The story on the pork market is somewhat ambiguous. The demand is still weak, but the supply is even tighter. Meanwhile, the demand for beef remains strong, although it remains to be seen how long that will last, and the poultry meat market is extremely strong.
The pork market has experienced an extremely weak summer, but the pig price is slowly strengthening. In week 34, the pig price had dropped from €2.16 to €1.94. Since then, the price has been raised twice, to €1.96 in week 39.
The main reason for the increase is a very tight market. Since the summer, the slaughter figure has barely increased, resulting in around 270,000 pigs slaughtered. In the most recent weeks, the number of slaughters has even slightly decreased to 267,000 pigs. This means about 30,000 fewer pigs are slaughtered per week than would be expected based on the five-year average. Furthermore, the slaughter figure is approximately 20,000 pigs lower than the number of slaughters in the already tight year 2023. It is noteworthy that the lower number of slaughters also coincides with a relatively low export figure. In week 37, the number of exported pigs fell below the average level during the summer. In that week, 12,700 pigs were exported.
Due to the tightness, the prices of the meat parts received a significant boost. Prices have increased across the board. Only the bellies and livers have remained stable. On average, prices have risen by 0.6 cents. However, the average increase is significantly offset by a decrease in neck prices by 13.33 cents. This, however, does not mean that the demand has increased. Meanwhile, slaughterhouses still report a weak market. In other words, the demand for pork is still on the low side.
Beef price remains stable
Meanwhile, beef prices remain stable. There has been no movement in beef prices for the past eleven weeks. The U-quality is traded at €4.97 per kilo, while the P-quality remains at €3.18.
In the beef market, it is meanwhile heard that both demand and supply are still quite good. Especially Southern European countries continue to import a lot of beef. Meanwhile, the nice weather in Northern Europe is over, although it has little influence on the market. Because the summer had a nice ending, there is still a considerable demand from the hospitality industry. Since the terraces were quite full until recently, hospitality slaughterhouses have sold quite a bit of meat. These reserves still need to be replenished, keeping the demand high. Due to these two factors, the prices of almost all parts have risen.
However, the question is how long it will take for this demand to dry up again. The weather is now less nice and there seems to be no change in sight. This means that the terraces are likely to become emptier and it is probable that the demand for beef will decrease. This leads to limited confidence in the market, preventing the better part prices from pulling up the livestock prices.
Poultry meat market clearly the strongest
Meanwhile, the poultry meat price remains strong. The poultry meat quotation remains at the highest level of the year, at €1.19 per kilo.
Insiders in the market report that the poultry meat market is very strong. This is largely due to the end of the holidays. Now that the school holidays are over, most consumers are back. Because they have spent a lot of money, they are cutting back on food and opting for chicken more often than pork and beef. The poultry meat market is benefiting greatly from this momentum.
Meanwhile, the market is quite tight. In recent weeks, several poultry farmers were unable to deliver at the same time, resulting in lower supply. At the same time, exports are still weak. Polish prices are still considerably higher than Dutch prices. Currently, a minimum of 5.30 zloty (€1.24) per kilo is paid in Poland. The price range extends up to 5.60 zloty (€1.31).
