Articles - Economy

The German pig market ended December with a deceptive sense of calm, yet beneath this veneer, the situation remained tense.

Spanish farmers are losing over €47 million per week total, and pig prices are not expected to rise until February...

The month was shaped by a seasonally unusual price decline and left the sector wavering between routine daily business and sudden uncertainty.

Construction costs in France stabilize: up 0.7% in a year, following several years of continuous increases.

We are in a critical market situation throughout the EU. It does not look like things will change until February next year.

Considering the spread of African swine fever (ASF) globally in recent years, are we prepared for this increased risk?

The price has fallen so much that it's probably close to its yearly low.

ASF has never spread so widely across the globe. The question is not if it will arrive, but when. The latest outbreaks detected in Europe may provide valuable information as the wolf lurks.

September brought falling pig prices, declining piglet prices, and noticeably more cautious demand.

China has been Spain's largest market for many years, and with an additional 20% penalty, exports to China will decline significantly.

August brought a welcome breather to the German pig market.

A stew of grains with an abundance of ingredients, but seasoned with risks that could sour the overall dish.

Guillem Burset explains the reasons for the exceptional drop in pig prices in Spain during July.

The good domestic crop contrasts with global uncertainty: currency, geopolitics, and funds continue to drive prices in the short and long term.

In the first quarter of 2025, European pig trade continued to be marked by an increase in Spanish imports of piglets and finishing pigs.

Communication in the swine industry today faces a double challenge. On the one hand, there is a real need to transparently show the sector's work to an increasingly distrustful consumer, who is either uninformed or saturated with emotional messages. On the other hand, we must do so in a changing digital environment, which rewards the authentic, the emotional, and the useful.

Spanish slaughterhouses are between a rock and a hard place. The heat will accentuate the supply shortage. Pig prices are increasing or staying the same, pork prices are decreasing, and consequently, margins are deteriorating.

Price expectations vary by continent.

The UK ships around 7,000 tonnes of pig meat to the US annually, making it the fourth largest destination for UK product. The vast majority of this is made up of loins, fore-ends and bellies.

The market is hyper-reactive, reacting to every piece of news in one direction or another. Let's try to focus on it.

In 2024, the Latin American swine industry continued to show outstanding performance, reaffirming its potential, resilience, and capacity to adapt to the challenges facing the sector in a complex market environment. However, given the current geopolitical circumstances, reconfiguration of international pork trade flows in Latin America is expected in 2025 as a result of retaliation against the tariffs imposed by the United States.

The past five years have been a turbulent period for the UK pork industry, shaped by the intersecting challenges of Brexit, COVID-19 and global economic and geopolitical pressures.

Customs tariffs have major consequences and affect pig farms worldwide.

Guillem Burset analyzes the situation in the Spanish market and the possible effects of Trump's tariff policy on pork trade.