[Mrs Snoodles]

Just chatting with the farmer I work with, he assumed that there was a marketplace for finished stock as there is for other livestock (he's done sheep in the past) I've had a look online but don't really see anything. Excuse my ignorance  but  Are pigs done differently then?  Sold onto abattoirs directly?  Or are there just none because the pork are preordered and contracted out by the retailers?   



 

[supplies for smallholders]

I think it is fair to say that the bottom has fallen out of the pigs-at-auction market.

I know that our nearest market (melton mowbray) used to have pig auctions once per month - take a look at their most recent report here : http://www.meltonmowbraymarket.co.uk/images/reports/MARKET%20REPORT%2015th%20JANUARY%202013.pdf at which "Fat Pigs" peaked at £100 and coloured weaners were selling for £21 at most.

Thanks

[Mrs Snoodles]

So, did there used to be pig markets until fairly recently? And are they are not put on current schedules because of trading conditions etc etc?  Just out of interest.  Alot of the pig farms here, contract out to Mr Easey - Mr Pig, here in Suffolk..... but I just wondered how in general it all worked.

[kja]

I think it is fair to say that the bottom has fallen out of the pigs-at-auction market.

I know that our nearest market (melton mowbray) used to have pig auctions once per month - take a look at their most recent report here : http://www.meltonmowbraymarket.co.uk/images/reports/MARKET%20REPORT%2015th%20JANUARY%202013.pdf at which "Fat Pigs" peaked at £100 and coloured weaners were selling for £21 at most.

Thanks

last week was a very poor turn out so prices were a little above the norm.

rule of thumb coloured pigs dont sell well. fat pigs dont sell well either. what is in demand is good well done white pigs (sorry but it seems to be the norm at markets around here)

we have melton, thrapston & newark around here they all sell pigs but dont always publish prices.

best advice is to visit a market before you want to sell to get the feel of things and see for yourself how prices vary.

have a look on the melton market reports to see some of the prices over the last few months.

i have seen saddleback weaners sell for £5, osb x £3 berkshires £12 but at the same auctions welsh & other whites £35 -£45.

if your fattening pigs best sell the finished product or you could be onto a looser.

[RaisinHall Tamworths]

There are weekly auctions for pigs at Selby, York and Thirsk.  Darlington sell pigs, not sure if it's weekly though.  Gisburn have a Saturday auction once a month.  That's around here in Yorkshire, not sure about rest of the country  . 
We sell at Thirsk and have had the same price for our Tamworths as the commercial pigs which surprised us!  We don't take porkers, we take everything to bacon weight if they're going to market, we found the price was too low for porkers, even though we end up keeping the pigs longer to bacon weight it is more worthwhile for the price difference.  Trouble is there are only a couple of buyers because so many buy direct so trade doesn't really fly 

[kja]

the same thing around here RHT the same couple of meat men buy most finished & cull animals keeping the prices down.

[Mrs Snoodles]

Tbh I hadn't thought about markets as a place to sell. Never been to one, and there's none around here as we are so arable based.  However, I guess it's always an option for surplus stock, although by the sounds of it, a last last resort.

[Mrs Snoodles]

 Really intersting,  Just went through the MM catalogue and was stunned to see the game prices.  Way more than what the our game keeper gets to the dealer ....  Can't believe someone is paying those prices for supposedly POL hens, you can pick them up from a reputable breeder around here at that price. 

Very sad to see aviary birds listed   They never do well being transported.  Poor things.