The market of poultry meat in the European Union

Abstract

The poultry meat occupies an important place in the structure of the European meat consumption (for example, if the consumption has been 23,2 Kg/inhabitant in 2007, the specialists foresee to reach 24,5 Kg/inhabitant in 2014). During the last five years, the evolution of the total poultry meat production in the European Union presented an ascendant tendency. Currently, the France, Great Britain, Spain, Italy, Poland, Holland are the primary poultry producers. In addition, the biggest predominance of imports has been performed from Brazil, Holland, Belgium, Hungary, Germany and Austria. In the period 2004-2008, the European Union imports of poultry meat came from Brazil, Thailand and Chile in a proportion of 95 %. Poultry meat trade had an obvious increase at the level of the European Union, afterwards in the period 2003-2008, exports decreased with almost ¼ (in the year 2008, as compared to 2002) and imports increased with 23,5 %. Poultry meat exports from the European Union addressed to Russia, Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, Benin, Hong Kong, Vietnam etc. In the European Union, the poultry meat prices had an increasing evolution in the year 2009, comparing to the year 2007. The price policy adopted this year by producers will influence the evolution of the poultry meat market in 2009. As the costs of production will have a significant increase, the specialists count on the fact that imports will decrease because of the international economic situation and the rate of exchange that will create more space on the internal market of local producers. According to the main players in the field, the poultry meat market will have an ascendant tendency and will register an increase of 10 % at least, in spite of the present climate of economic recession.