Meat production in Germany continues to decline

The multi-year decline in beef and pork production in Germany continued into the first half of 2021.

As preliminary data from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) showed, the number of cattle sent for slaughter was 0.1% higher than in the first half of 2020, at just under 1.59 million heads, and as a result, MEAT production fell by 0.5% up to 524,560 tons. . As for pigs, 26.13 million heads were slaughtered; this is 672,000 heads, or 2.5% less than last year's level. Compared with the first half of last year, pork production fell by 1.2% to 2.53 million tons.

From January to October, less beef was produced in Germany than in the first ten months of 2019. Read more ››

The decline in meat production in the cattle sector was undoubtedly due to the smaller supply of steers for slaughter. According to statistics from Wiesbaden, 599,200 animals were brought to the slaughterhouse, which is 3% less than from January to June 2020. Meat production fell 3.9% to 240,660 tons due to lighter weight. In contrast, the supply of females for slaughter increased by 1.5% to 530,780 cows and by 5% to 289,900 heifers. Accordingly, the volume of meat production increased by about the same amount. The slaughter of calves and young cattle decreased by 0.8% to 165,165 heads, while meat production increased by 0.8% to 24,710 tons.

In the case of pigs, the reduction in slaughter was entirely due to significantly lower supplies of animals from abroad - almost 59.4% lower than in the first half of 2020. On the contrary, slightly more animals from domestic pig farms were slaughtered. The total domestic supply of 25.52 million HEAD was 222,950 head or 0.9% higher than the comparable level of the previous year. During the year, the gap between 2021 and 2020 pig slaughter rates steadily narrowed; in June, slaughter volumes for the first time exceeded those of the same month last year. However, in June 2020 Germany's largest recycling company Tönnies had to close its plant in Rheda-Wiedenbrück due to the CORONAVIRUS.

And this fact will be taken into account when preparing the monthly analytical report Meatinfo.ru