Prices: For the week ending 16th May, the average reported deadweight price paid for Grade E pigs in Ireland remains unchanged at €1.75/kg (excluding VAT). Producer prices generally range from €1.74/kg-€1.78/kg across processors this week.
Current prices remain 19% lower than the same week last year, when prices averaged €2.16/kg. Across Europe, pig prices are showing signs of recovery. The EU average price for Grade E carcasses has come back by €0.04/kg to €1.61/kg (excluding VAT) and is €0.47/kg below the corresponding week in 2025 (€2.08/kg). The German and Polish Pig prices have come back by €0.03/kg and €0.11/kg respectively, reflecting the market conditions within the EU.
Throughput: Slaughter activity remains robust. Combined throughputs for the first 20 weeks of 2026 are just over 1,340,000 head, which is over 56,000 head higher than the same period in 2025. For the week ending 16th May, total slaughtering’s amounted to 66,303 head, including 2,240 sows and 11 boars.
Overall, there has been a 4.3% increase in fattener pig throughput compared with the same period last year, signalling strong supply despite softer price trends.
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