Meat List is a service of FAO’s Trade
and Markets Division
The FAO Meat Price Index* averaged 163.6 points in December, 1.3 points (0.8 percent) higher than its slightly revised value for November.
While poultry and bovine meat prices changed only little in December, international price quotations for ovine meat fell slightly, mostly as a result of increased export supplies from Oceania. By contrast, pigmeat prices partially recovered, supported by strong
global import demand, especially from Brazil. In 2018, the Index averaged 166.4 points, down 2.2 percent from 2017. The year-on-year decline reflected drops in the prices of pig and poultry meats, which more than offset higher ovine meat quotations. In bovine
meat markets, prices remained close to their 2017 levels.
* Unlike for other commodity groups, most prices utilised in the calculation of the FAO Meat Price Index are not available when the FAO Food Price
Index is computed and published; therefore, the value of the Meat Price Index for the most recent months is derived from a mixture of projected and observed prices. This can, at times, require significant revisions in the final value of the FAO Meat Price
Index.