International pig production impacted by feed price

An analysis of how international pig production costs suffered from 2008 record feed grain prices has been produced by InterPig.
The multi-country group of pig production economists calculates in its annual report that the 2008 average cost of EU pig production increased by almost 8.5% from the 2007 level to €174 cents/kg slaughter weight.
In percentage terms, the highest cost increases were recorded for Denmark (up 18% to €1.65/kg) and for the Netherlands (up 13% to €1.64/kg). Germany and France saw 11% increases, while the rise for Sweden was 10%. At the other end of the scale the increase was 5% for both Austria and Italy.
Britain was the only EU member to register a decrease in its production costs, down by 2%. Italy’s cost is always more than in other European countries due to the extra slaughter weight of prosciutto ham pigs. The accompanying graph from InterPig confirms production costs also remained higher for Sweden, Austria and Britain than for other parts of western Europe.