Meat Production in Germany Fell in 2012
GERMANY - Total meat production in 2012 was just over eight million tonnes. For the first time in 15 years, this represents a reduction from the previous year.
25 February 2013
3 minute read
For the year 2012, meat output was lower than the previous year - for the first time since 1997. At eight million tonnes, the figure was 1.9 per cent (159,000 tonnes) lower than in 2011, according to figures from the German statistics agency, Destatis.
In 1997, the volume was 4.9 million tonnes and this increased by almost 67 per cent to 2011, when the output was 8.2 million tonnes.
Most of the reduction in 2012 was attributed to the decrease in pig meat output. Beef production continued its decline from the previous year, while the previous rapid increase in poultry meat volumes came to a standstill, only slightly higher than 2011.
Of total production, pig meat took the highest share at 67.8 per cent, followed by poultry meat (17.7 per cent) and beef (14.1 per cent). Together, sheep, goat and horse meat accounted for 0.3 per cent of all meat.
In 2012, almost 5.5 million tonnes of pig meat was produced in Germany, 2.5 per cent or 140,700 tonnes less than the previous year. At 58.2 million, fewer pigs slaughtered - around 1.4 million or 2.3 per cent - than 2011. There were 2.1 per cent fewer German-reared pigs (at 53.7 million) as well as 4.7 per cent fewer imported pigs (at 4.5 million) than the previous year.
Around 1.1 million tonnes of beef was produced in Germany in 2012, which is 21,900 tonnes or 1.9 per cent below the figure for the previous year. The number of cattle slaughtered in 2012, at 3.6 million, was 57,800 on 1.6 per cent below the previous year.
Poultry meat output was up by just 0.3 per cent for 2011 at 1.4 million tonnes. Broiler meat output was down by 1.1 per cent at 863,000 tonnes. Turkey meat production, at 464,000 tonnes, was 0.7 per cent lower that the previous year. The production of meat from spent hens was down 4.5 per cent to 40,000 tonnes.
| German slaughterings 2012 (provisional data) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 4th quarter 2012 | ||||
| Category | Units | Number | Change from previous year (%) | Number | Change from previous year (%) |
| Pigs | 1,000 animals | 58,196.7 | – 2.3 | 14,929.6 | – 2.1 |
| 1,000t | 5,457.8 | – 2.5 | 1,400.6 | – 2.2 | |
| Cattle - total | 1,000 animals | 3,617.9 | – 1.6 | 968.8 | – 2.6 |
| 1,000t | 1,135.7 | – 1.9 | 304.3 | – 2.4 | |
| - Bullocks & bulls | 1,000 animals | 1,446.1 | – 2.7 | 385.3 | – 1.7 |
| 1,000t | 548.5 | – 1.8 | 147.2 | – 0.9 | |
| - Cows | 1,000 animals | 1,281.7 | – 1.8 | 340.2 | – 3.9 |
| 1,000t | 387.5 | – 2.5 | 102.2 | – 4.4 | |
| - Heifers | 1,000 animals | 485.3 | – 4.8 | 136.2 | – 4.4 |
| 1,000t | 142.9 | – 4.3 | 39.8 | – 3.9 | |
| - Calves | 1,000 animals | 339.7 | 3.2 | 89.1 | – 3.1 |
| 1,000t | 46.5 | 3.5 | 12.4 | – 1.9 | |
| - Youngstock | 1,000 animals | 65.2 | 45.2 | 18.1 | 22.6 |
| 1,000t | 10.3 | 41.7 | 2.8 | 13.2 | |
| Lambs | 1,000 animals | 895.5 | 2.2 | 259.0 | – 2.0 |
| 1,000t | 16.6 | 3.1 | 4.8 | – 1.9 | |
| Other sheep | 1,000 animals | 131.2 | – 26.5 | 47.4 | – 9.7 |
| 1,000t | 4.0 | – 26.5 | 1.4 | – 9.8 | |
| Goats | 1,000 animals | 24.5 | – 2.2 | 5.9 | – 7.1 |
| Horses | 1,000 animals | 11.3 | – 2.3 | 3.4 | – 8.7 |
| Goats & horses | 1,000t | 3.4 | – 2.3 | 1.0 | – 8.6 |
| Poultry | 1,000t | 1,427.5 | 0.3 | 359.5 | – 1.5 |
| - Broilers | 1,000t | 863.4 | 1.1 | 212.2 | – 3.4 |
| - Ducks | 1,000t | 57.6 | 0.4 | 15.1 | – 8.3 |
| - Turkeys | 1,000t | 464.0 | – 0.7 | 121.4 | 3.3 |
| TOTAL | 1,000t | 8,045.0 | – 1.9 | 2,071.7 | – 2.1 |
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