EU pork exports up in first quarter, especially to China

In the first quarter of 2025, EU exports of pork and pork products to third countries reached 1,107,475 tons, according to the latest data published by the European Commission. This represents a 3.11% increase over the same period last year.

By category, the highest growth was recorded in cured products (salted, dried or smoked), whose exports increased by 11.2%, followed by offal, with 6.9%. Frozen pork, which represents the largest volume of the total, grew by 2.3%, while fresh pork fell by 6.4%. Exports of pasta stuffed with pork or pork by-products also fell considerably, by 23.4%.

Spain remains the main exporter of EU pork to third countries, with a volume of 394,816 tons carcass equivalent, representing more than 35% of total exports. It is followed by the Netherlands (180,236 t), Denmark (154,479 t), and Poland (73,057 t). These four countries accounted for more than 73% of total EU exports in the first quarter.

By destination, China continues to be the main buyer outside the EU, with 296,467 tons exported, representing 26.8% of the total. It is followed by the United Kingdom (193,512 t), the Philippines (93,285 t), Japan (80,984 t), and South Korea (78,708 t). These five countries account for more than 60% of European pork exports to third countries. Compared to the same period of the previous year, exports to China grew by 10.2% and shipments to South Korea were stable (+0.6%). On the other hand, there were notable drops to Japan (-20.9%), the United Kingdom (-5.5%), and the Philippines (-4.0%).