Increased pigmeat production in Germany in the first half of 2015 has resulted in the country exporting more and importing less.
Although Germany was a relatively small direct outlet for the UK, at 14,700 tonnes for January to June 2015, the trade still endured an 8% year-on-year decline in export business, on top of facing increased competition for sales in other markets.
With total German pork exports rising by 18,000 tonnes in the six-month period, the biggest competitive impact was felt in the non-EU sector. By far the biggest individual sales growth was to China; exports into that market more than doubled to 64,600 tonnes. This offset small export reductions for other markets.
On imports, meanwhile, Germany’s January-June total was the lowest for a decade at 460,000 tonnes.Import value also declined sharply.