Retreat in China Pork Prices Points to Weak Consumer Confidence

Chinese pork prices have been in retreat all year and look set to go even lower, with government efforts to cull the breeding herd and a seasonal demand boost not enough to arrest the slide.

Wholesale prices have dropped 18% so far in 2025 and are at the lowest level in more than three years. Consumption of China’s most popular protein normally picks up as temperatures cool, but the declines highlight how fragile consumer sentiment is at the moment.