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According to the information published in the foreign news gazette of the Ministry of Agriculture of Spain, the most representative associations of the German meat industry —the German Meat Association (VDF) and the German Meat Industry Federation (BVDF)— have presented the data of the sector in 2016, that show that, in spite of a generally difficult and complicated market environment, and regardless that there is a worrying drop in the demand for pork (at a domestic and a EU level), the sector managed to become consolidated along 2016 thanks, mainly, to the rise experienced by the total meat exports to third countries.
Pork consumption showed a decrease by 1.7 kg, reaching 36.2 kg per capita. According to these data, the average meat consumption per capita has decreased, in 2016, by some 1.0 kg with respect to 2015, reaching 60.0 kg due, exclusively, to the drop in pork consumption.
The associations point out that this downward trend was mainly due to the demographic evolution, to the relationship of the prices between the different meats, and, to a large extent, to the fact that in Germany the number of people that are quitting meat consumption completely is growing.
Nevertheless, the sales of pork to third countries are showing, with respect to 2015, a considerable rise, having grown by 35%; and those of offal have risen by 20% approximately, and this was mainly due to the increase in the exports to China.
Nevertheless, the representatives of the German meat sector warn that this growing reliance on the Chinese imports represents a considerable risk, because the competition in this market is becoming aggravated with the entrance of more competitor countries (such as Spain), as well as other states in North and South America.
According to the data submitted by the VDF and the BVDF, in 2016, the German meat sector has got to export 4.3 million tonnes, which entailed an increase by 3.4% with respect to the previous year. 13% of this amount belonged to meat products (sausages and meat processed products).
The exports of fresh and frozen pork exports grew in 2016 by 5.1%, reaching 1.87 million tonnes, of which three quarters were sold within the EU. With respect to beef, there was, nevertheless, a drop by 4.5% in foreign sales, reaching 295,600 tonnes, of which 91% were sold within the EU.
Thursday, 22 June 2017/ MAPAMA/ Spain.
http://www.mapama.gob.es
