By Charlie Reeve
EU broiler prices eased back towards the end of 2024 to average 274.28 eurocents a kg for the week ending 18 December.
However, prices were still 6.3% higher than the same month last year.
Broiler prices in the US were on an upwards trajectory throughout the autumn closing the price gap with the EU market.
In December, the US broiler price continued to rise and overtook the EU price for the first time since early summer to stand at the equivalent to 277.24 eurocents a kg.
Broiler prices in Brazil remain at a large discount to those in the EU and the US, they have remained fairly stable and were the equivalent to 129.09 eurocents a kg in mid-December.
EU broiler production generally remained above last year’s levels throughout the first 11 months of 2024.
In November, production estimates indicate a slight fall after peaking in October to just below 900,000 tonnes.
Poland accounted for the largest share of total EU poultry meat production in 2023 at 21%, followed by Spain (13%), Denmark (12%), France (11%), and Italy (10%).
EU egg production
EU egg markets continued to be well supported throughout the autumn and prices hit the highest point this year returning back above 240 eurocents a kg in the last month.
The EU weekly average lifted to 243.17 eurocents a kg in mid-December, up by 6.7% on the same week last year.
The main EU egg producing countries in 2023 were France and Germany with both accounting for about 15% respectively of the total number of laying hens. This was followed by Poland and Spain at 13% and 12% of laying hens in the EU.
Total EU egg production was 6.78 million tonnes in 2023, which was 0.7% higher than in 2022.
Total EU egg exports reached 241,500 tonnes during the first eight months of 2024, up by 14% on the year.
The UK was the EU’s largest export destination during the first eight months of 2024, with 98,800 tonnes of eggs being imported into the UK from the EU.
This accounted for almost 41% of total EU egg exports and was 3.5% higher than the same period last year.
The EU imported roughly 115,000t of eggs during the first eight months of the year, up by 4.6% on the same period in 2023.
Ukraine remained the largest exporter of eggs to the EU with volumes up by 2% for the year to date.
More than 64,000 tonnes of eggs were imported by the EU from Ukraine, meanwhile the UK was the second largest exporter to the EU with 17,000 tonnes being sent during the same period.
This was a 26% increase on the year but still considerably lower than the volume of eggs imported from the EU by the UK.