Scottish pig farmers are enjoying a strong trade for cull sows with prices more than double what they were 12 months ago.
Speaking yesterday at the opening day of the Aberdeen Christmas Classic at the Thainstone Centre, Inverurie, Adam Cheale from Cheale Meats said the collapse in the Sterling following the Brexit vote had helped boost prices and export trade.
The cull sow liveweight price is currently averaging around 50p a kg, compared to 23p a kg a year ago.
Cheale Meats, which is based in Brentwood, Essex, has been buying cull sows from the north-east for the past 50 years. It currently buys around 10,000 cull sows from the region every year.
Mr Cheale said 50% of the volume of pigs processed at the company, which supplies pigmeat to the wholesale and export markets, came from cull sows.
The main market for cull sows was Germany, followed by Belgium, and work was being done to allow the company to export direct to China, added Mr Cheale.
He said although Brexit posed uncertainty, prices were likely to remain steady going forward.
Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy and Connectivity, Peter Chapman, said the boost in pig prices was welcomed and showed there were opportunities in the sector.
Speaking at a lunch for producers following the cast sow competition, Mr Chapman said: “Sixty-six percent of Scottish pigs are produced in the north-east, and I believe there’s room for expansion.”
He said previous calls by industry for more people to get into pigs had only been met with the creation of new finishing units, as the costs required to set up a breeding unit were considerable.
CAST SOW RESULTS
Pen of four sows: 1 – Sandy Howie, Baluss, Mintlaw; 2 – Mark Strachan, West Balquhain, Inverurie; 3 – John Rennie and Sons, Gask, Turriff.
Single sow: 1 – Mark Strachan; 2 – Sandy Howie; 3 – John Rennie and Sons.
Champion: Mark Strachan.
Reserve champion: Sandy Howie.