Following a five per cent increase in Spanish exports of fresh and frozen pig meat in 2012, the volume fell back by 5.6 per cent to 972,600 tonnes in 2013. The German meat association, VDF, reports that, in the first half of last year, the volume was 13 per cent below that of 2012.
Almost 80 per cent of Spain's pig meat was destined for other EU member states and these were down 4.5 per cent or 37,000 tonnes in 2013 compared to the year before.
The main destinations - France and Italy - took 1.7 and 5.6 per cent less last year than in 2012 at 262,300 and 118,400 tonnes, respectively, while 6.5 per cent more Spanish pork went to its Iberian neighbour, Portugal (114,100 tonnes).
Germany reduced its imports of Spanish pork by almost 21 per cent to 52,200 tonnes in 2013.
Spain's pig meat exports to non-EU states were 194,100 tonnes, which is 9.6 per cent less than in 2012. While China took 55,400 tonnes in 2013 (+9.6 per cent), the volume exported to Russia was down by more than 51 per cent to 31,300 tonnes.
Despite the reduction in volume exported, the total value was €2.32 billion, which is only slightly less than in 2012 as the result of a five per cent increase in average price.
