Inside Pigs
EU pork exports much higher in 2020
The European Commission predicts that pork production in the European member states will increase slightly in 2020. In addition, exports are expected to take another significant step.
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For this year, the European Commission expects a production of 24,2 million tons of pork. Compared to 2018 this is an increase of just 0,5%. For the coming year, an increase of 1,5% to 24,5 million tonnes is expected. This is not a record, by the way, because pork production was significantly higher in 2016 and 2017.
Higher self-sufficiency
The average consumption per European remains the same at 32 kilos per year. Nevertheless, consumption is expected to drop slightly in 2020. To be precise by 0,4% to 20,8 million tons. As a result, self-sufficiency increases by 3 percentage points to 118%. This is the highest percentage in years. This is because consumption in Europe was significantly higher in 2016 and 2017.
This need not pose a problem, because there are plenty of export opportunities on the world market. Asian demand, in particular, is booming (due to the problems caused by African swine fever) and is likely to continue for years to come. The European Commission therefore expects exports to grow by 2020% in 14 to a record 3,6 million tons. For 2019, exports of 3,2 million tons are expected, which is 18% more than in 2018.