Germany registered higher pig meat production in the first half of this year (460,000 tonnes), resulting in increased exports and decreased imports, the AHDB Pork said on Tuesday.

 

AHDB Pork, a division of the UK's Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, said the firs-half pig meat volumes were the lowest compared with the same period in the last decade.

 

German exports during the period were up 2% over the first half of 2014, while imports were 9% lower.

 

Apparently other countries in the 28-member bloc had also increased supplies as Germany's export growth, according to the AHDP Pork, was driven by non-EU, markets, particularly China, with shipments up by almost 25% (from 126,500 tonnes in the first half last year to 154,900 tonnes this year).

 

Shipments to other countries within the EU were slightly lower at 690,000 tonnes than in January-June 2014 (700,300 tonnes), although volumes shipped to the two leading buyers--Italy (from 178,600 tonnes in 2014 to 178,900 tonnes) and Poland (82,500 tonnes to 83,200 tonnes)--were largely stable.

 

Sales to China doubled (from 31,400 tonnes to 64,600 tonnes), making it the fourth-largest market for German pig meat exports, after Italy, Poland and the Netherlands.

 

With unit prices 7% lower, the value of German pork exports was 5% down on a year before, at €1.74 billion (US$1.99 billion), according to the AHDB Pork.

 

Imports of pig meat in the first half decreased to 460,500 tonnes from 506,400 tonnes last year. Shipments came from Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands.

 

Meanwhile, EU pork exports in June reached almost 139,000 tonnes, or 21% higher than those in the same month last year, according to the Pig Market Weekly.

 

It said the high growth rate was driven by shipments to China, which were nearly twice the level registered in June 2014.