June 19, 2023

 

France's 2022 pig production dropped 2.2%

 

 

 

With 23.2 million head in 2022, France's pig production contracted by 2.2% year-on-year, twice as much as it did in 2021 (-1.0%).

 

Over the past 10 years, production has fallen by an average of 0.6% per year. This downturn is the result of the decrease in the number of pigs in France.

 

The decline is reflected in a decrease in slaughter (-1.4% year-on-year). In terms of weight, the decrease is more marked (-2.3%). Between 2021 and 2022, the average carcass weight will fall from 93.8kg to 93.3kg. Hot summer weather slowed animal growth. The fall in slaughter volumes is therefore more marked from summer 2022 onwards than in the first part of the year.

 

Last year, the balance of foreign trade in French pork meat and fat became negative after three years of surplus. It went from a surplus of 60,000 tonnes carcass equivalent in 2021 to a deficit of 26,000 tonnes carcass equivalent in 2022. This turnaround is due to a year-on-year increase in imports, while exports are decreasing.

 

In the same year, exports of French pork meat and fat fell by 6.0% year-on-year in terms of volume (after +3.7% in 2021). However, they remain close to the average of the last five years (+0.3%).

 

Internationally, exports to third countries fell by 23.0%, particularly to China (-50.4%), the leading Asian market for French pork. However, the share of exports to China in total French exports (10.7%) remains higher than in 2018 (8.5%) when the spread of African swine fever (ASF) started in the country. Exports to the Philippines, Asia's second-largest market, returned in 2022 to their 2018 levels (5% of total French exports).

 

At the same time, sales to the European Union remain dynamic (+6.5% after +4.2% in 2021). Sales to Spain continue to rise (+8.0%), while sales to Italy, France's biggest customer, are declining (-7.8%). Considering all destinations together, French exports of pork and fat, although down in volume terms, have increased in value over the last year, due to higher prices. Increased sales to the EU offset the decline to China.

 

In 2022, import volumes of pork and fat increased year-on-year (+7.8%), clearly exceeding their pre-sanitary crisis levels. After the rise in 2021, linked to the recovery in catering activities, imports continue to increase in the first half of the year (+16.0%), before leveling off in the second half (+0.7%).

 

Last year, France increased its imports from other EU countries (+4.8% year-on-year). Deprived of its Asian outlets following ASF outbreaks in 2020, Germany remains active on the European market, particularly in France (+9.1%, after +24.6% in 2021). Volumes from Italy rose significantly (+26.5%). On the other hand, volumes from Spain, France's leading pork supplier, fell by 2.2%.

 

- Agreste-Synthèses Conjoncturelles