Farmgate prices for poultry fell early in the year because of a drop in demand as consumers bought cheaper pork instead. Farm gate prices for whole chickens dropped 6pc year-on-year in January, according to a report by the Agricultural Research Institute. Laszlo Barany, head of the Hungarian Broiler Association, told that a cut in the VAT rate on pork gave the meat a competitive edge that poultry producers have only been able to offset by reducing prices. Pork prices fell 17.2pc year-on-year in January as a result of a reduction in the VAT rate on the product from 27pc to 5pc from the start of the year, data from the Central Statistics Office (KSH) show.