EU poultry production set to fall amid high input costs and bird flu

This is despite poultry being supported by its relative affordability compared to other meats, especially in times of high inflation and the relaxation of Covid-19-related measures, unleashing demand from food service.

This helped major poultry-producing countries, such as Poland, Spain and Germany, in the first half of 2022. Still, high input costs and the devastating impact of high pathogenic avian influenza have caused real problems in many European countries, particularly Italy, France and Hungary, which has seen an 11% reduction in production.

Domestic use, however, is expected to remain stable in 2023, averaging around 23.3 kg per capita.

EU poultry exports to the UK are likely to be up 20% in 2022, but the higher EU prices have been helping competitors, such as Brazil, gain some EU market share elsewhere, notably in Africa and Asia.

Overall, EU poultry exports are expected to decrease by 2.2% in 2022 and remain stable in 2023, while imports are expected to rise by 29% in 2022 and 7.7% in 2023.