The AHDB has released figures showing the trends in EU cull sow market. Although the EU pig market was hit by the German dioxin crisis this time last year (pig and poultry farms in Northern Germany were sold feed contaminated with dioxin, which resulted in tainted meat and eggs), the cull sow market gradually recovered and prices continued to increase throughout the year, however, after peaking in December, prices have started to decline.

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EU officials, animal welfare campaigners and UK industry groups have also expressed concerns over the slow progress being made by the majority of EU states to meet the deadline for new welfare regulations, which come into force in January next year.

So far, only three member states, the UK, Sweden and Luxembourg are compliant with Europe's partial stalls ban, according to European Commission data. Gestation crates have been banned in the UK for a decade.  The European Commission agriculture department has recently confirmed that a further four countries are on track to meet the 1st January deadline. Ireland, Lithuania, Denmark and Germany are set to be compliant by 2013.

However, for 20 member states data is either unavailable or suggests the country’s producers will not meet the upcoming deadline.  Last week, Brussels called on member states’ governments to provide up-to-date figures on compliance. Figures from the European Commission suggest that compliance with the ban will result in a two per cent rise in costs for producers; animal welfare group Compassion in World Farming said this amounts to 2 pence per kilo of meat.

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