W8 Pork Update: Germany and Belgium Report Decreases in Pork Slaughterhouse Activity

Published 2024년 3월 1일

In W8 in the pork landscape, preliminary data from DESTATIS indicates a continued decline in domestic meat production in Germany 2023, marking the seventh consecutive year of decrease. Total meat production amounted to 6.8 mmt, indicating a 4.0% YoY decrease. The number of pigs slaughtered decreased by 7.0% YoY, with pork production reflecting a 6.8% decrease. Similarly, in Belgium, STATBEL data reveals a significant decline in Belgian pig slaughterhouse activity in 2023, reaching the lowest level since 1990, with 9.4 million pigs slaughtered, representing an 11% YoY decrease. Despite this, cattle slaughter saw a slight increase, while poultry slaughter remained relatively stable.

German Meat Production Declined for Seventh Consecutive Year in 2023

Preliminary data from the German Federal Statistical Office (DESTATIS) indicates a continued decline in domestic meat production in 2023. This marks the seventh consecutive year of decline since reaching a peak of 8.25 million metric tons (mmt) in 2016. Total meat production in Germany amounted to 6.8 mmt in 2023, representing a 4.0% year-on-year (YoY) or a 280.2-thousand metric ton (mt) decrease compared to 2022. This decline extends the downward trend observed in recent years, with an 8.1% YoY decline in 2022 following relatively minor reductions in previous years. A total of 47.9 million pigs, cattle, sheep, goats, and horses were slaughtered in 2023.

The number of pigs slaughtered in 2023 decreased by 7.0% YoY (3.3 million heads), totaling 43.8 million heads. While domestic pig slaughtering fell by 7.7% YoY to 42.3 million heads, slaughtering of imported pigs increased by 19.5% YoY to 1.5 million heads. Pork production reached 4.2 mmt in 2023, reflecting a 6.8% YoY (306,500 tons) decrease.

Compared to the record-setting year of 2016, German pork production in 2023 experienced a significant decrease of 25.1%, representing a decline of 1.4 mmt. Declining pig population is one potential factor contributing to the decrease in pork production.

Belgian Livestock Slaughterhouse Activity Sees Decline in Pork Production in 2023

Data from the Belgian Statistics Agency (STATBEL) reveals a significant decline in Belgian pig slaughterhouse activity in 2023, marking the lowest level since 1990. The number of pigs slaughtered in Belgium in 2023 declined by 11% YoY to 9.4 million heads, representing a decrease of 1.2 million pigs compared to 2022. This volume falls below the levels recorded even during the challenging year of 2019. Despite the decrease in pig slaughterhouse activity, the total carcass weight from pork reached 930 thousand mt in 2023, accounting for 58% of the overall slaughtered animal weight.

While the Belgian livestock sector witnessed a decline in pig slaughterhouse activity and a relatively stable poultry sector, cattle slaughter experienced a slight increase in 2023. Cattle slaughter increased by 2% YoY in 2023, with 771 thousand head processed. Poultry slaughter remained relatively stable, with 26 million chickens processed, a slight increase compared to 2022. This production yielded a total carcass weight of 421 thousand mt, representing 26% of the total slaughtered animal weight. These animals contributed a total carcass weight of 240 thousand mt, accounting for 15% of the total.