October 4, 2024

 

EU broiler prices continue to rise, US and Brazil lag behind

EU broiler prices have seen a slight increase in the past month, averaging 277.31 Eurocents per kg for the week ending August 21, 2024, a 4.5% rise compared to the same period last year, Poultry News reported.

 

While US broiler prices were roughly in line with the EU during the first half of 2024, a growing gap has emerged over the summer months. In mid-August, US broiler prices dropped to the equivalent of 252.10 Eurocents per kg, creating a 25 Eurocents per kg difference compared to EU prices.

 

In Brazil, broiler prices have risen slightly over the past few weeks but remain significantly lower than both the US and EU, averaging 123.14 Eurocents per kg.

 

EU broiler production has remained robust throughout 2024, with higher production levels compared to the same period in 2022 and 2023. In September, production is estimated to have increased compared to the previous month, nearing the 900,000-tonne mark, as seen in July, which was the highest monthly volume recorded in over three years.

 

Poland led EU poultry meat production in 2023, accounting for 21% of the total, followed by Spain (13%), Denmark (12%), France (11%), and Italy (10%).

 

Egg prices in the EU also saw an increase in September, averaging 204.19 Eurocents per kg, up 4.6% from the previous month, but still 4.2% lower than the same period last year.

 

France, Denmark, and Spain were the top egg producers in the EU in 2023, each holding around 14% of the total market share, followed by Italy at 12%. Total EU egg production reached 6.78 million tonnes in 2023, an increase of 0.7% from 2022.

 

The UK was the EU's largest export destination for eggs during the first five months of 2024, importing 58,800 tonnes from the EU, accounting for over one-third of total EU egg exports. This was a 3.1% increase compared to the same period last year.

 

Ukraine was the leading egg exporter to the EU, with volumes up 37.7% year-to-date. The EU imported over 29,300 tonnes of eggs from Ukraine, representing more than 60% of its total egg imports.

 

The UK ranked as the second-largest egg exporter to the EU, shipping 6,500 tonnes in the first five months of the year. This marked a 43% increase from the same period last year, though still significantly lower than the volume of eggs imported by the UK from the EU.

 

-      Poultry News