European Union: Poultry and Products Semi-annual

Despite the increasing costs of production and ongoing HPAI outbreaks, EU chicken meat production is expected to remain stable in 2023. With the easing of COVID restrictions, EU domestic consumption is forecast to increase by 1.4 percent in 2023 following the 1.2 percent growth in 2022. While inflation continues to be a concern, chicken meat is still generally more affordable compared to other animal protein. EU chicken meat imports increased by 13 percent in 2022, and further growth is expected in 2023 driven by a strong demand in the HRI sector. EU demand for Ukrainian chicken meat grew by 60 percent in 2022, as imports benefitted from temporary EU free-trade measures to support Ukraine. EU chicken meat exports decreased by 6.1 percent in 2022, and a further decline is expected in 2023 due to HPAI restrictions and lower price competitiveness relative to other world suppliers.