Are we going to eat more or less pork now?

If you go by the sounds in the social debate, we will soon ignore (pork) meat en masse. Left-wing politicians and activists refer to the declining consumption figures and often extend this trend further. And indeed, that is not a lie. Pork consumption in the Netherlands and Europe is under some pressure.

Consumption is shrinking 
Pork consumption fell by half a kilo last year to an average of 36,2 kilos per inhabitant (based on carcass weight), according to figures from Wageningen University & Research (WUR). Ten years ago, the Dutch ate an average of one and a half kilos more. Pork is still by far the most eaten meat in the Netherlands. In other countries too, on average, slightly less pork is eaten every year. Germany is the exception to the rule. Consumption there is declining significantly: between 2015 and 2020, consumption fell by one kilo annually to 34,1 kilos.

An average German still eats a relatively large amount of pork and it will remain a daily diet in the future. The European Commission expects that in 2031 the average European - if such exists - will eat 31 kilos of pork. This is a decrease of 1,5 kilos compared to this year. So further contraction is on the way. In 2011, average consumption in the Eurozone was still 34,3 kilos, so you could also conclude that the contraction will level off in the coming years. It just depends on how you look at the numbers. We are not going to eat much less meat in Europe, they think in Brussels. Against the expected contraction in pork consumption, growth in poultry meat is expected.

Growth in global market
In contrast to the leveling off contraction in Europe, further consumption growth is on the way in other continents. Considerable growth even. The United Nations expects that global pork consumption will reach 2030 million tons in 127,03, compared to 112,3 million tons in 2021. A growth of just under 13%. A significant increase is expected, especially in 2022 and 2023, driven by increasing prosperity and growing population figures in Asia and South America. 

Such high growth estimates provide pig farmers and meat companies with excellent guidance, although we must note that the forecasts tend to be guesswork. At the same time, the figures also indicate that consumption is shifting and thus dependence on sentiment on the world market is increasing.