April 5, 2018

German pork exports on a downtrend; Dutch exports highest in 20 years

German fresh/frozen pork exports fell for the third consecutive year in 2017, down 3% on 2016 to 1.8 million tonnes, while Dutch fresh and frozen pork exporters have never had it so good, as shipments to other countries increased 6% to 913,400 tonnes last year compared with 2016 - it was the largest volume of Dutch exports in the trade record since 1997, according to AHDB Pork.

The pork division of the UK Agriculture & Horticulture Development Board said the German decline was largely due to decreased shipments to China, which fell 40% to 168,000 tonnes in 2017, compared with 2016. Weaker export demand from China is attributed to the recovery of its own domestic production.

Countering the drop in Chinese trade was an increase in deliveries of German pork to other non-EU countries, most notably South Korea, whose imports from the largest pork producer within the EU increased 22% to 95,000 tonnes. There were also increases in exports to the Philippines, Japan and Hong Kong.

While the overall volume decreased, exports to other EU member states remained steady on the year earlier, totalling 1.4 million tonnes. Italy remained the largest export market for German pork, although volumes were down 4% year-on-year. In contrast, the second-largest destination, the Netherlands, increased its imports of German pork by 10%, totalling 201,500 tonnes.

Dutch exporters, meanwhile, managed to increase their trade with other EU markets in 2017, increasing pork deliveries by 17% compared with 2016.

The top export destination for Dutch pork in 2017 was also Italy, to which shipments were up 7%. Exports to other key European destinations - Germany, Greece and Poland - were notably ahead last year, and volumes to the UK rose 11% year-on-year.

Dutch pig meat exports to non-EU countries fell 18% in 2017 compared with the previous year. Although China remained the main non-EU market for Dutch pork, its exports to that country decreased 27%. Similarly, lower volumes were exported to South Korea and Japan, decreasing 20% and 50%, respectively.

In contrast, Dutch exporters were able to increase their trade with Hong Kong and Australia. —Rick Alberto