Germany

Beef consumption increased in Germany due to immigration

Beef consumption in Germany saw a rise due to the large number of refugees that the country received after the immigration crisis in 2015, Albert Holtmann Scholten, an expert in economics and market trends, explained during the conference held in Bucharest, Romania, by the European Livestock and Meat Trades Union (UECBV).

Posted on Oct 22 ,14:00

"In the next 10 years, we will witness many changes. Chicken meat will report the biggest increase, but this is not the main issue. One very important subject is the evolution witnessed in beef and veal consumption. In Germany, due to the pressures on the milk market, the number of herds will decline, so we will lose some of the beef markets. In pork, the situation is slightly different. Maybe Germany we will see a decline in the number of pig herds, but we will witness a positive situation. This means that at least 10% of EU pigs will be exported to other non-EU countries. And this is a big problem, that we depend heavily on other non-EU countries," said Mr. Scholten.

Furthermore, Mr. Scholten talked about the evolution of meat consumption. "We are observing a very interesting evolution in beef consumption. It may be surprising, but consumption is rising in Germany, and the refugees play a role in this. Last year, about one million immigrants came to Germany, and the majority of them are Muslims that consume large quantities of beef. It will be a good market in the future in my opinion. On the other hand, the number of cattle is decreasing. The beef will remain stable, but at the moment, the kilogram of beef is about 4 euros," the German expert said in a statement.

Albert Holtmann Scholten talked during the UECBV conference on the subject of "The economic role of meat production and meat consumption trends."

The European Union of Commerce with Animals and Meat Crafts (UECBV), chaired by Mr. Philippe Borremans, organized the Annual General Assembly in Bucharest, October 19-21, 2017, in the space dedicated to the conferences at CARO Hotel, Bucharest.

UECBV is among the most important European organizations representing 53 associations and federations from 24 EU Member States, but also from Japan, Norway, Russia, Switzerland, Turkey, and Ukraine. In total, 20,000 companies and enterprises with 230,000 employees are regrouped in UECBV.