May 7, 2024

Feed output by producers in Belgium fell 3% last year

Members of the Belgian Feed Association in Belgium produced 6.5 million tonnes of animal feed in 2023, a 3% decrease compared to 2022.

The decline is almost entirely attributed to a 6.9% decline in pig feed production due to poor market conditions and the uncertainty caused by the nitrogen policy.

Cattle feed production remained virtually stable (-0.2%) and poultry feed production increased again (+3%), due to the recovery of Belgium's poultry sector following a severe period of bird flu.

Almost half of the animal feed production in the country consists of pig feed (48.2%), followed by cattle feed (24%) and poultry feed (20.1%).

The Belgian animal feed sector ranks seventh in the European Union, producing 6.5 million tonnes.

Spain remains the largest producer with around 26.5 million tonnes, followed by Germany (22.2 million tonnes) and France (19.2 million tonnes).

Italy (14.5 million tonnes), the Netherlands (14.3 million tonnes) and Poland (11.6 million tonnes) complete the top six.

In 2023, European animal feed production fell by 3.8%. Europe saw the strongest decline globally. Animal feed production also declined in North America (-1.07%), as did in the Middle East, although by just -0.3%.

- Vilt