Germany: meat exports decreased by 19.3% over the past five years

In particular, pork exports have declined markedly over the past five years. In 2022, pork (just under 1.5 million tons) accounted for just over half (50.5%) of German MEAT exports. From 2017 to 2022, the amount of meat exported decreased by just over one-fifth (-20.4%). Beef exports fell 11.4% over the same period to just over 254,000 tons. The volume of exported poultry meat remained at the same level (-0.2%) and amounted to slightly less than 481.5 thousand tons. One reason for the decline in meat exports is likely to be import restrictions in importing countries such as CHINA . China accounted for 9.7% of all meat exports in 2017, down from just 0.1% in 2022. The number of livestock in Germany has also declined.

16% less meat imports over the past five years

A similar development can be seen in meat imports, with 2.0 million tonnes of meat entering Germany in 2022, mostly from other EU countries. This is 4.5% less than a year earlier. Meat imports have fallen 15.9% over the past five years. In 2017, Germany imported 2.4 million tons of meat. There is also a clear decrease in the amount of imported pork: from 2017 to 2022, it decreased by almost a quarter (-23.4%). More recently, about 701,400 tons of pork have been imported. Imports of beef over the same period decreased by 12.0% to just under 324,200 tons. Poultry meat import volumes fell less sharply, from almost 693.6 thousand tons in 2017 to about 657.6 thousand tons in 2022 (-5.2%).

Meat production has dropped significantly.

Meat production in Germany is also declining. According to preliminary data, commercial slaughterhouses in Germany produced about 7.0 million tons of meat in 2022, which is 8.1% less than the previous year. Meat production over the past five years has decreased by 13.9%. In 2017, almost 8.2 million tons of meat were produced. In particular, less pork is being produced, with the amount of pork produced falling 18.5% from 2017 to 2022 to just under 4.5 million tonnes. Also, the number of pigs of foreign origin slaughtered in Germany decreased by 68.7%. Beef production also declined over the same period (-12.8%). In 2022, commercial slaughterhouses still produced about 984,600 tons of beef. On the contrary, the amount of poultry meat produced in 2022 increased slightly compared to 2017 - by 1.8%, to 1.5 million tons.

Above average prices for meat and meat products

Like the prices of many other products, meat prices have risen above average over the past year. In 2022, consumers had to pay 14.5% more for meat and meat products than a year earlier. Poultry meat has risen in price more - by 22.9%. Other meat prices also increased significantly from 2021 to 2022. Beef and veal cost 19.2% more, pork - 16.7%.

Meat consumption in Germany is declining

In Germany, less and less meat has recently been consumed: per capita consumption in 2021 was 55.0 kg, according to the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food. This corresponds to a decrease of 12.4% compared to 2011.