Meat production in Germany has increased by 1.3% in the first half of 2024, reaching 3.4 million tonnes when compared to the corresponding 2023 period, according to the country’s Federal Statistical Office.
In total, commercial slaughterhouses in Germany slaughtered 24 million pigs, cattle, sheep, goats and horses, as well as 344 million chickens, turkeys and ducks in the first six months of this year, figures show.
Following a gradual decline in pigmeat production, a slight increase was recorded which is the first increase in the first half of the year since 2016. A total of 21.9 million pigs were slaughtered, representing a rise of 0.4%.
German pigmeat production reached 2.1 million tonnes in the first half of the year which is 1.1%, or 22,4000t, above last year’s total. For years, pigmeat production has accounted for the largest share of slaughterings in Germany.
In the first half of 2024, 62% of the meat produced was pigmeat, followed by poultry with a share of 23% and beef at 14.6%. Sheep, goat and horse meat accounted for only 0.4% of the country’s total meat production.
In total, 1.5 million cattle have been slaughtered, which represents an increase of 1.3%, or 18,300 cattle. The amount of beef produced rose by 2.5% to 496,600t. The average slaughter weight was 337kg, 4kg more than in 2023.
While the number of poultry slaughtered in Germany hardly increased in the first half of 2024, the amount of meat produced increased by 1.3% to 780,700t, which represents an increase of 9,700t on the first half of 2023.
