FAO meat prices: a break from eleven months of continued increases

The FAO Meat Price Index averaged 182.5 points in January, down 7.5 points (4.0 percent) from December, marking a break from eleven months of continued increases.

At this level, the Index exceeds by 22.4 points (14.0 percent) that of January last year. Price quotations for all meat categories represented in the Index dropped in January, with those of ovine meat falling the most, followed by bovine, pig and poultry meats, pressured by reduced purchases, especially from China and the Far East after large imports towards the end of 2019. Furthermore, large export availabilities, especially of pig and bovine meats, weighed on export prices in recent weeks.