Germany’s meat production increased in 2024 after seven years of decline, though the volume remained a quarter below its previous peak.
According to preliminary data from the country’s Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), meat production in Germany increased by 1.4% to 6.9mt.
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In 2016, commercial slaughterhouses in Germany produced 8.4 million tonnes (mt) of meat.
The total number of pigs, sheep, horses, goats, and cattle slaughtered in German slaughterhouses reached 48.7 million. This includes a 1.2% increase in the number of pigs slaughtered, which grew to 44.6 million compared to the previous year.
The number of domestically sourced pigs slaughtered rose by 1.6% to 43.3 million. Conversely, the number of imported pigs slaughtered in German farms decreased by 9.2% to 1.3 million.
German facilities produced approximately 4.3mt of pork in 2024, an increase of 1.9% compared with the previous year. However, the figure remains 1.3mt lower than the record production year of 2016, representing a decline of 24.9%.
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By GlobalDataThe beef sector remained stable, with the number of cattle slaughtered commercially in 2024 showing little change from the previous year, with a slight increase of 0.1% to three million animals.
However, the slaughter volume for beef rose by 1.2% to 1mt, attributed to increased average slaughter weights across all cattle categories.
The recovery is also supported by a 0.3% increase in the slaughter volume of chickens, turkeys, and ducks, which totalled 693.3 million.
Poultry meat production experienced a modest increase, rising to 1.6mt in 2024 compared to the preceding year.
The growth was primarily driven by a 1.8% rise in the production of young broiler meat, which reached 1.1mt. In contrast, turkey meat production fell 2.1% to 408,100t.
A total of 626.7 million young broiler chickens and 27.1 million soup chickens were slaughtered in 2024. Additionally, 30.2 million turkeys and 9.3 million ducks were also processed.
Last month, UK-based food investor Perwyn expanded its French halal brand Isla Délice into the German market with the acquisition of local peer Gürkan.
“Germany is one of the main halal markets in Europe with attractive growth prospects – in particular in modern trade,” Perwyn said.
