February 15, 2021

Germany's 2020 meat production drops 1.6% from 2019

Germany's meat production in 2020 dropped 1.6% from 2019 levels to 7.8 million tonnes, according to preliminary results from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis).

The results suggest that the limited processing capacity due to temporary closures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic had been absorbed by other companies. A total of 57.6 million head (swine, cattle, sheep, goats, and horses), as well as 670.1 million head of poultry (chickens, turkeys, and ducks) were slaughtered in slaughterhouses.

In Germany, 53.2 million head of pigs were slaughtered in 2020, down 3.5% compared to the previous year. The number of domestic pigs slaughtered decreased by 1.7% to 50.9 million animals.

The number of imported pigs slaughtered in German slaughterhouses decreased by 31.3% to 2.3 million animals.

In total, German pork production in 2020 was 5.1 million tonnes, 2.4% lower than in 2019.

Between 2010 and 2020, poultry meat production increased by 17%, while pork and beef production, with slight fluctuations in certain years, remained at approximately the same level.

- Destatis (Germany)