German pork exports rose by 1%, to 1.3 million tonnes, during the first nine months of 2015 with the country’s pigmeat imports showing a 9% fall during same period, according to AHDB pork.
“Italy remained the main export destination for German pork, despite volumes dropping by 3%,” said ADHB Pork, noting that sales to EU counties in total were 34,200 tonnes down on the year for the January to September period.
To offset this loss of EU business, Germany looked to Asian markets to compensate with growth in the Chinese market continuing throughout the year, driving shipments to more than double, compared to the corresponding time period in 2014. Sales to South Korea also recorded an increase.
“With the unit value of exports decreasing since 2014, however, the total value of German pigmeat exports for the first three quarters of 2015 fell by 6% year on year to €2.6 billion (£1.8bn),” said AHDB Pork.
Imports of pork into Germany, meanwhile, continued to decline in the third quarter of 2015, with volumes dropping 12% on the year, to 215,000 tonnes. This leaves volumes for the first nine months of 2015 running 9% lower than the same time period in 2014.