France: Pork consumption up, pig production stagnates
The French pig industry should step up its production efforts to keep up with the success of pork on French plates. That was the message from the French levy board Inaporc in its review of 2025.
In 2025, sales of pork were up in all sales channels, both for home consumption and outside the house. Pork showed a different trend than other kinds of meat in the sense that demand growth accelerated but prices decreased. First estimates indicate that consumption was up 2.6%, following a growth of 1.4% in 2024. The French consumed 31.6 kg per capita, similar to chicken and other poultry. Prices in the shops, however, went down 1.6%, reaching €12.10/kg on average for pork and pork products, including charcuterie.
The number of pigs slaughtered increased by 0.3%, figures from the agricultural statistics office Agreste showed. Thanks to a higher average carcass weight, total production was up 0.7%. As a result, the self-sufficiency rate further dropped to 98%.
Pig market situation likely to worsen
Inaporc expressed a fear that the situation will worsen because of the large number of producers that will retire in the next 10 years. At the moment, 40% of the volumes are produced by farmers over 55 years old, while 36% of the leaders of the more than 300 French charcuterie companies are over 60. Inaporc estimates that over 100 pig farms with, on average, 300 sows have to be transferred to a new farmer each year. All in all, that represents a total investment of over €5 billion in the next 10 years, to keep production stable. Against this background, a mobilisation of all players, united under the Le Porc Français brand, is essential, Inaporc said.
“In a difficult economic environment, with lower incomes for pig farmers and at the same time an increase in the import of pork products, we do call on the government to lessen the administrative burden that blocks the renovation and transfer of our farms. France has to put in place an environmental regulation that is adapted to the needs of pig holdings. The country should also work towards an exemption for pig and poultry farms of the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) of the EU. The professionals in the sector consider the obligations of the IED totally unworkable. The sector is already heavily engaged in environmental work. In effect, our goal is a 25% reduction of the emissions of greenhouse gases by 2035. It’s no use to impose measures that don’t correspond to any reality on the ground.”
Profitability is an issue for French pig farmers
Inaporc also emphasised that many French pig farms are no longer profitable, since the recent decreases of the pig prices. Anti-dumping levies China imposed on European pork and the cases of ASF in Spain have further destabilised the market. Charcuterie producers face an increase of imports. Inaporc concluded, “To support the sector, Inaporc calls on all users and consumers to prefer products with the Le Porc Français’ logo.”
