The meat industry’s interest group expects stable domestic consumption this year

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The head of the interest group assessed that from a meat industry perspective, the previous year was slightly less favorable than could have been expected based on forecasts at the beginning of the year. On an annual basis, the volume of meat production and meat processing increased by 0.8 percent, and the volume of meat product production by 0.2 percent, surpassing the change in the performance of the entire food industry. He recalled that exports were hindered for months by foot-and-mouth disease and African swine fever, so Hungarian meat exports fell by 7 percent on an annual basis. However, exports of meat products increased, and due to the decrease in imports, the foreign trade balance also improved, with the quantitative surplus of pork approaching 30 thousand tons last year. Despite the unfavorable circumstances, the domestic pig population increased by 3 percent in 2025, and by December the number of pigs reached 2.9 million. At the EU level, the population increased by a much smaller amount, by 0.1 percent, and Hungary’s share in EU pork production exceeds 2 percent – added Tamás Éder. At the European level, African swine fever caused serious problems last year, as export capacity deteriorated, while domestic consumption on the continent stagnated. The consequence of this is the oversupply that almost halved the price of live pigs in a few months, and only in recent weeks has a recovery been seen, based on which sustainable market conditions can be established again within the foreseeable future – he explained.

Tamás Éder said: African swine fever is also a serious threat to the Hungarian meat industry

The disease has spread from Croatia to the southern part of Baranya County, and from there, absent geographical obstacles, it could reach Lake Balaton in 3-4 years. If this happens, pork from at least two-thirds of the country will not be able to be sent to markets outside the EU, so a significant part of the farm developments of recent years may also lose their meaning – he emphasized. In his opinion, the domestic outlook could also be worsened by the fact that the surplus created due to European overproduction appears on the markets at low prices. Profitability problems may impair producers’ willingness to invest, and due to the risks, banks will also think twice about granting loans for development and modernization applications. If not, investments may be missed, and it is not excluded that there will be more pig farmers who will abandon their activities – he noted. He believed that if the resources of the common agricultural policy are properly utilized, the competitiveness of the Hungarian pig sector could improve within a few years, but this would require more than ever effective market protection measures. At the same time, consumers can also improve the situation of producers by buying reliable, high-quality domestically produced meat products for Easter, said Tamás Éder.

MTI