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France is the third pork producer in the EU, behind Germany and Spain.
The pig herd in 2017 amounted 12.8 million heads, of which 1 million were sows.
France slaughtered some 23.1 million pigs in 2017, and produced 2.1 million tonnes of pork, namely 9% of the European production.
Evolution of pig/pork production
95% of the French pigs are slaughtered at specialised abattoirs. Nine of them have a capacity that exceeds 1 million pigs per year, and they represent a little less than 60% of this activity. They are all located in the regions of Brittany and Pays de la Loire. The two national leader companies, Cooperl Arc Atlantique and Bigard, represent, each, some 20% of the slaughtering capacity in France, with several high-capacity infrastructures.
25 % of the French pork (excluding offal), mainly loin, is sold fresh (70% of it in large- and medium-sized retail stores). 25% is exported to the EU market (Italy, Spain, Belgium, UK, Germany) and to third countries (China, The Philippines), and more than 50% of the French pork is processed into cold meats by the French industry, and mainly bound for the national market (95% of the volume).
February 2018/ France AgriMer.
http://www.franceagrimer.fr
