Meat production in German slaughterhouses declined in the first six months of the year. There was less production in one sector in particular.
The slaughterhouses in Germany again produced less meat in the first half of 2021 than in the same period of the previous year. A total of 28.3 million pigs, cattle, sheep, goats and horses were slaughtered.
Together with the poultry, this resulted in almost 3.8 million tons of meat, as reported by the Federal Statistical Office. That was 1.7 percent less than in the same period last year. There was an above-average decrease of 3.5 percent to 773,400 tons for poultry meat.
In the first half of 2020, meat production in Germany had already decreased overall. Some slaughterhouses were temporarily closed as a result of the corona pandemic.
The Wiesbaden authority did not give a reason for the current decline in poultry meat. Company closings on a larger scale due to avian influenza are not known, it was said on request.
Poultry meat now accounts for around a fifth of the total, and production has more than doubled since 2000. For comparison: in the same period of time, the amount of pork only increased by 30 percent. Nevertheless, pork remains the dominant type of meat in German slaughterhouses with a share of almost 66 percent. The amount of beef has fallen by a good fifth since 2000.
According to the information provided, the slaughter statistics do not allow any conclusions to be drawn about meat consumption in Germany, among other things because some of the meat is exported.
According to preliminary information from the Federal Information Center for Agriculture (BZL), the per capita consumption of meat in Germany fell to a decade low in 2020. At 57.3 kilograms per person, consumption was lower than ever since consumption was calculated in 1989. According to this, a total of 750 grams less meat was eaten per person compared to 2019. But there are differences depending on the species.
Above all, the consumption of pork fell and is noticeable in the preliminary statistics with a decrease of 940 grams per capita. For beef and veal it was 40 grams less than in 2019. In contrast, the consumption of poultry meat increased by 180 grams.
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
