Ontario Pork: Changes In U-S Driving Hog Prices Down Here

An Ontario Pork spokesman says it’s going to be pretty depressing to compare year over year hog prices for the next six months.

Patrick O’Neil says producers were benefiting from the impact of PED in the U-S, which reduced the number of hogs available for slaughter.

That helped drive up prices.

However, a recent report suggests American hog slaughter has rebounded – and that’s driving U-S hog prices down.

O’Neil points out any changes in the U-S supply situation have a direct impact on our markets.

He says most Ontario hogs are still priced on a formula based on U-S prices.

According to O’Neil, producers would be better off comparing this year’s prices to 2013 instead of the distorted prices of 2014.