The European Feed Manufacturers’ Federation (FEFAC) released The Feed & Food Report 2024, which offers a comprehensive overview of the economic trends shaping the European feed sector, highlighting the industry's vital role within the EU feed and food supply chain and its contribution to the livestock and aquaculture economies.
In 2023, compound feed production in the EU reached 146.9 million tons, marking a marginal decrease of -0.22% compared to 2022, as reported by FEFAC members. This decline was observed across the pig sector, experiencing a notable decrease of -4.1%, mainly caused by African Swine Fever (ASF). The poultry sector increased by 2.5% despite the prevalence of animal diseases such as Avian Influenza (AI).
The EU economy faced significant challenges due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the ensuing energy crisis, resulting in heightened inflation and decreased demand for animal products. Consequently, this downturn in demand had a direct impact on feed production. However, certain countries, including France, Spain, Portugal, Slovenia, and Bulgaria, managed to either stabilize or increase their feed production levels, though modestly, with Spain showing the most significant increase.
In 2023, poultry feed production increased by 1.4 million tons. The pig feed sector faced a notable decline, witnessing a production drop of nearly 2 million tons compared to 2022. The economic downturn and diminishing profitability led to the closure of numerous small farms in certain regions. Pig meat exporting countries reduced their production as China continues to recover from ASF. The production of cattle feed slightly increased by 0.9 million tons compared to the previous year.
In 2023, the compound feed industry of the EU-27 collectively produced 145 million tons of feed. This contained 74.6 million tons of feed cereals, 36.5 million tons of cakes and meals, 17.5 million tons of co-products from the food and bioethanol industries, 4.8 million tons of minerals, additives, and vitamins, 2.7 million tons of oils and fats, 2.3 million tons of dried forage, 2.1 million tons of pulses, and 6 million tons of various other feed materials such as former foodstuffs, straw, microbial biomass, among others.
Finally, in 2023, the EU-27 experienced a further decline in its livestock population. Cattle numbers decreased by 1.4%, pigs by 1.1%, and sheep and goats by 3.7% compared to the previous year.
Download the report here.
