0
French pork production contracts
With 23.2 million head in 2022, French pig production contracted by 2.2% year-on-year, twice as much as it did in 2021 (-1.0%). Over the past ten years, production has fallen by an average of 0.6% per year. This downturn is the result of the decrease in the number of pigs in France.
This fall in production is reflected in a decrease in slaughter (-1.4% year-on-year). In terms of weight, the decrease is more marked (-2.3%). Between 2021 and 2022, the average carcass weight will fall from 93.8 kg to 93.3 kg. Hot summer weather slowed animal growth. The fall in slaughter volumes is therefore more marked from summer 2022 onwards than in the first part of the year.
Trade
In 2022, the balance of foreign trade in French pork meat and fat became negative after three years of surplus. It went from a surplus of 60 thousand tonnes carcass equivalent in 2021 to a deficit of 26 thousand tonnes carcass equivalent in 2022. This turnaround is due to a year-on-year increase in imports, while exports are decreasing.
Exports
In 2022, exports of French pork meat and fat fell by 6.0% year-on-year in terms of volume (after + 3.7% in 2021). However, they remain close to the average of the last five years (+ 0.3%). Internationally, exports to third countries fell by 23.0%, particularly to China (-50.4%), the leading Asian market for French pork. However, the share of exports to China in total French exports (10.7%) remains higher than in 2018 (8.5%), when the spread of African swine fever (ASF) began in China. Exports to the Philippines, Asia's second-largest market, returned in 2022 to their 2018 levels (5% of total French exports). At the same time, sales to the EU remain dynamic (+6.5% after +4.2% in 2021). Sales to Spain continue to rise (+8.0%), while sales to Italy, France's biggest customer, are declining (-7.8%). Considering all destinations together, French exports of pork meat and fat, although down in volume terms, have increased in value over the last year, due to higher prices. Increased sales to the EU offset the decline to China.
Imports
In 2022, import volumes of pork meat and fat increased year-on-year (+ 7.8%), clearly exceeding their pre-sanitary crisis levels. After the rise in 2021, linked to the recovery in catering activity, imports continue to increase in the first half of the year (+16.0%), before leveling off in the second half (+0.7%). In 2022, France increased its imports from other EU countries (+4.8% year-on-year). Deprived of its Asian outlets following outbreaks of ASF in 2020, Germany remains active on the European market, particularly in France (+ 9.1%, after + 24.6% in 2021). Volumes from Italy rose significantly (+26.5%). On the other hand, volumes from Spain, France's leading pork supplier, fell by 2.2%.
May 2023/ Agreste-Synthèses Conjoncturelles, Mai 2023 Nº 406/ France.
https://www.agreste.agriculture.gouv.fr
