Bulletin

Go back 80 years and we will find that most towns and cities had their own abattoirs along with, in many cases their own tannery. 

The wet-blue and crust market in Brazil is coming under strong pressure to reduce prices further, to match the decline in value of the hides being sold by the United States. 

Sales have been confirmed for both the top weight ox-heifer hides into Northern Italian tanneries, with prices are slightly down on before. 

Most suppliers have offered out larger quantities for this week than for last week; a sure indication that the amount being sold to tanneries in both China and Korea does not satisfy clearing supply. 

Slaughterhouses geographically close to Northern Italian tanners have, over the past 20 years geared themselves up heavily towards supplying their raw hides fresh into the tanners. 

The market of German hides remains subdued and largely in the same vein as the last 2-3 weeks. This can be summed up as a decent continuity of orders and volumes from the tanneries placed in the ‘right’ supply chains, and struggling to sell anything outside these consolidated channels. 

As we enter the grass growing season, many European farmers will be sending their cattle out to graze and fatten up, while they concentrate on crops. 

The French hide market is reported as still being very slow. Sales are being made, but they are becoming harder to find, and when new business is concluded it is invariably at lower price level than the previous sales. 

At one time, long before Far East tanners come into the world market, nearly all sales were made on a 30 day basis and covered by a credit insurance policy. 

Shoe upper tanners remain out of the market, these tanners are traditionally buyers of U.S hides. These tanners are reporting to have very low orders as they now approach the slow season for shoes.