FAO meat price index up slightly in September

The FAO Meat Price Index averaged 119.6 points in September, up 0.4 points (0.4%) from August and 5.5 points (4.8%) higher than its value a year ago.

The rise in the index was driven by higher poultry meat prices, primarily reflecting strong import demand for Brazilian poultry meat following the easing of trade restrictions related to the Newcastle disease. Meanwhile, international bovine meat prices remained stable, as limited supplies from leading producing countries were sufficient to meet global import demand. Similarly, world pig meat prices were unchanged, with global supplies adequately covering increased demand, including higher domestic sales in the European Union. By contrast, international ovine meat prices fell marginally, largely due to continued weak import demand from China.