Meat supply in the federal states

Production and consumption vary greatly from region to region

The ratio of meat production and meat consumption in a region is expressed by the degree of self-sufficiency. In a new analysis, the ZMP determined this data for the individual German federal states.

In 2002, Germany had gross domestic production of around four million tons of pork, making it the largest producer in the European Union. In terms of per capita consumption, Germans also take one of the top places with around 53,7 kilograms per year. The German degree of self-sufficiency in the pork sector is 90 percent.

In the beef and veal sector, the Federal Republic of Germany is second only to France in the EU with a production of around 1,38 million tons. The local per capita consumption of beef and veal, at 11,9 kilograms, is seven to eight kilograms below the EU-15 average. Due to the low consumption, self-sufficiency of around 140 percent is reported.

In the individual German federal states, however, the production figures and the consumption quantities differ greatly from one another. In order to show these differences, the ZMP has regionally broken down production and consumption for both pigs and cattle. A specific method based on the livestock census results was developed to determine regional production. The estimate of the regional consumption was based primarily on the results of the ZMP market research; these are based on data from the GfK household panel. The determined regional self-sufficiency confirms that German meat production is concentrated in strongholds.

Lower Saxony has the largest surpluses

In the area of ​​beef production, four federal states (Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Bavaria and Schleswig-Holstein) have a degree of self-sufficiency of well over 200 percent. In two other states (Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt), production is also higher than consumption. However, this does not automatically mean that there is a high concentration of stocks. Because in countries such as Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein or Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the high degree of self-sufficiency is also an expression of more extensive land use with sometimes low overall consumption. The degree of self-sufficiency is very low in Saarland at just under 50 percent and in Hesse at just under 70 percent. Baden-Württemberg comes to almost 90 percent, the other federal states are between 75 and 80 percent.

In the case of pig production, the regional focal points are primarily in Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia and Bavaria, albeit with very different supply balances. The production volume in Lower Saxony exceeds consumption there by a factor of 2,8. North Rhine-Westphalia has a degree of self-sufficiency of just over 100 percent. All other federal states are subsidy areas. In Bavaria, too, consumption is higher than self-generation; the degree of self-sufficiency there is almost 80 percent. The level of self-sufficiency in Saarland, Rhineland-Palatinate, Brandenburg, Saxony and Hesse is well below average.

Why regional data?

The past few years in particular have shown that national and international trade in animal products can be quite prone to disruption due to diseases and epidemics that occur. It should also be considered that regional animal husbandry not only has to fulfill a supply task, but is also indispensable for the maintenance and care of rural areas and as an employer. In order to be able to better assess one's own chances on the market, it is important for every producer of agricultural products to have knowledge of national and regional food supplies.

Source: Bonn [ZmP]