Prop 12 Uncertainty, Slowdown in Demand, Continues to Pressure Prices
Prop 12 has end users in California depleting inventories of product that will not be compliant by July 2. This is having a negative impact on spot pricing.
Find important industry news right here.
Prop 12 has end users in California depleting inventories of product that will not be compliant by July 2. This is having a negative impact on spot pricing.
Plenty of conversation in the market about producers suffering deep losses and looking to liquidate sows. IA State model shows average loss of $34/head in Q1.
With little improvement in the spot pork market, hog futures continue to slump. But risks are increasing that the market has overshot its mark and prices may snap back.
Lean hog futures have declined by more than 10% in the last few days due to ongoing demand uncertainty this spring.
Pork cutout futures continue to signal lower wholesale prices for the spring and summer as demand eases lower following the COVID-related spike in 2021 and 2022.
Hog slaughter was lower last week as snowstorms disrupted the transportation of hogs to processing facilities. U.S. hog producers are still incentivized to pull hogs forward as current prices are below the cost of production.
The pork market continues to trade sideways on ample supply and, more importantly, a weaker than expected demand across a range of items.
Despite 2% decline in slaughter anticipated by the USDA, pork supply coming to market continues to be far higher that expected.
Hog slaughter was near 2.7 million head last week as producers sought to schedule hogs that were backed up due to winter storms and holidays. Slaughter is expected to be lower this coming week, in part because some plants will be dark on Monday for MLK holiday.