According to the Federal Statistical Office Destatis, a total of 48.7 million pigs, cattle, sheep, goats, and horses, as well as 693.3 million chickens, turkeys, and ducks were slaughtered in German slaughterhouses last year.
The slight increase in meat production mainly concerns pork, beef, and poultry. No information was provided regarding imports and exports. Despite this rise, production in Germany is still far from its peak. In 2016, 8.4 million tons of meat were produced.
Although meat production has increased, experts emphasize that this does not necessarily indicate a lasting trend. The expectation is that demand for quality will continue to grow, but overall meat consumption will not increase significantly.
Steffen Reiter, head of the German meat industry, considers this development a turning point. He says consumers are choosing meat more often again and attributes this to improvements within the industry.
Market researchers have also noted changes in consumption behaviour. The strong trend toward veganism and vegetarianism appears to have weakened, even among young people.
A representative survey shows that nearly 60 percent of Germans ate the same amount of meat and sausage in the past 12 months as in the previous year. About 26 percent reported consuming less meat, while only 4 percent ate more.
There are clear differences between age groups. Older people more often report having reduced their meat consumption, whereas young people show an above-average increase in consumption.