EU-28: Livestock and Products Annual
The liberalization of the dairy market led to a strong increase of the slaughter of dairy cows. While the dairy cow herd is shrinking, the beef cow herd is slightly growing. The elevated beef supply is anticipated to be absorbed by the domestic market. EU pork prices recovered from record lows to average levels solely due to the hike in Chinese demand for pork. Improved profitability is expected to sustain EU pork supplies through 2017. Given the saturated domestic market, and the strong dependence on the Chinese market, EU producers are active in opening new markets.
