Meat consumption has been declining for years

It is necessary to admit: 2010 was not a succesful year for the meat industry, according to Tamás Éder, head of the Hungarian Meat Industry Association (MHSz) who summarized the industry's performance at a press conference.

Despite expectations, the hog stock continued to decline last year, currently it fairly reaches 3 million pieces. Overall 520,000 tons of livestock was sold. 113,000 hogs have been cut in slaughterhouses across the country, a 7% increase year-on-year. 20% of the hogs slaughtered came from abroad, the ratio of import hog overall rose by 40% while export rose by 50%.

Hungary's foreign trade balance dropped in quantity, but increased in value. When it comes to export, Hungary remains to be a raw material importer and a product exporter. According to multi-source statistics (KSH, AKII, EU), Hungarian meat prices are still above the EU average, making it more costly for producers to operate profitably and thus promoting the import of meat.