October 29, 2013

Netherlands' H1 2013 pig meat exports down 8%

In the first half of 2013, the Netherlands' exports of fresh and frozen pig meat fell by around 8% after a sharp decline in 2012 while live pig exports rose by 7%.

According to the German meat industry association, VDF, the total volume of fresh and frozen pig mean exported from the Netherlands in the first six months of the year was 332,000 tonnes - 28,000 tonnes less that the same period of 2012.

Exports to Italy were down by 4.4%, while those to Germany were 12% lower. The drop was most pronounced in volume to the UK, which was down 18%. Exports to Greece remained stable at 41,000 tonnes.

Pig meat exports to non-EU countries fell back 5% over the period to 63,000 tonnes, mainly as result of lower volumes destined for South Korea, Singapore and Australia. Exports to Hong Kong and Russia clearly increased.

Live pig exports from the Netherlands were up by 7%, which contributed to the fall in total pig meat production. Most of the trade was in weaners and to Germany. Italy took almost 25% more live pigs over the period than in 2012. There was a sharp increase in live exports to Spain, which took almost exclusively piglets, from fewer than 13,000 in the first half of 2012 to more than 202,000 in the same period of this year.