Meat consumption in Germany is rising
For the past three years, consumers have been eating more meat and sausage. According to preliminary figures from the Federal Information Centre for Agriculture (BZL), per capita meat consumption in 2025 was 54.9 kilograms – an increase of 1.4 kilograms compared to the previous year. Poultry consumption saw particularly strong growth, reaching a new all-time high of 14.7 kilograms per person. Despite this renewed growth, consumption levels remain far below those of previous years, such as 2011, when 63.8 kilograms were consumed.
Pork remains unchallenged at the top. At an average of 28.3 kilograms per person, this type of meat accounted for almost 52 percent of total per capita meat consumption. Despite rising consumer prices, beef and veal consumption increased by a good 200 grams to 9.7 kilograms.
While consumption increased, domestic meat production declined slightly by 0.3 percent to 7.3 million tons in 2025. This was largely due to fewer cattle slaughters, resulting in a six percent decrease in net beef and veal production compared to 2024. Poultry production was impacted by factors including avian influenza and, at 1.5 million tons, remained just below the previous year's figure. Pork production, on the other hand, saw an increase of 1.1 percent. Unlike in previous years, pig farmers did not further reduce their herds, and the average carcass weight per animal also increased.
To meet increased consumption, imports of meat and meat products grew by almost eleven percent to 3.6 million tons. Significant import increases were particularly noticeable for beef, poultry, and lamb.
Despite a continued high self-sufficiency rate of around 115 percent, Germany remains dependent on meat imports. Because meat consumption rose in 2025, imports of meat and offal increased by almost eleven percent to 3.6 million tons.
Self-sufficiency remains highest for pork at nearly 139 percent, but this figure only applies to the whole animal: For popular cuts such as fillet, ham, or chops, it is only around 80 percent, according to the Federal Centre for Consumer Protection (BZL) – one reason why imports continue to play an important role despite high production.
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