Decimating in the sties

There are fewer pigs in the sties than any time in the past 60 years, still their price fell by 15-16 percent in a week. Pig breeders are asking from subsidies to survive the present crisis. They explain the problems with the strengthening of the Forint. As consumers and retailers, we could say: so what? Despite empty sties, there are no problems with pork supply as importing from Poland, Belgium and Germany is always an option. According to data by KSH, the number of pigs fell by 6 percent in the first half of 2009, to 3.2 million (14-percent less than a year earlier). 30 percent of meat slaughterhouses process are from import. 69 percent of the pig stock is owned by economic organisations and 31 percent is the property of individual farms. In the past weeks, the purchasing price of pig decreased, in September by 3 percent, if compared with August (and by 13 percent in comparison to prices one year earlier). Live pig purchasing price is at HUF 280-300 per kg at the moment. We have to solve the problems ourselves, because the EU will not introduce export subsidies. The poultry sector experiences hardships, too, despite the fact that goose and duck sales improved by 20 and 46 percent, respectively, in the first eight months. Breeders would like to export 3.2-3.3 million geese and ducks to German-speaking countries from October until the end of the year. The problem is: last year they sold frozen geese at EUR 4.2-4.3 per kg (prices were up due to an increase in feed prices – this took its toll later, since earlier German consumers were willing to pay EUR 5-6 for a goose, but last year’s EUR 8 was too expensive for them), but this year the price is at EUR 1.8-2. Thus, this year Hungarian breeders will export less at lower prices.