The European Commission is not planning to reduce meat production, according a social media post by the EU Commissioner for Agriculture.
Janusz Wojciechowski said on Twitter today (Wednesday, May 11) that he is constantly being asked if the commission will reduce meat production in the EU.
“The answer is negative. As EU agriculture is market-orientated and demand-driven, farmers’ production decisions respond to consumer preferences and market opportunities,” the commissioner stated.
However, he noted that “dietary choices remain a personal matter”.
“Today, animal products provide more than 50% of the protein intake in the average EU food diet. This protein is of high biological value and rich in essential amino acids,” Wojciechowski continued.
The commissioner outlined that an objective of the EU was to enhance farming methods.
“Improving the sustainability of primary production and reducing our dependency on imported proteins, to ensure that they come from sustainable sources are important objectives,” he said.
Last month, the commission published its short-term outlook report for EU agricultural markets.
The report stated that production of beef in the EU will continue to decline this year.
It estimated that beef production across the bloc would drop by 0.9% in 2022, due to “continuing structural adjustments in the beef and milk sector”.
The outlook report outlined that pigmeat production is expected to decrease by 3% across the EU.
When it comes to sheep and goat meat a decrease in production of 2% year-on-year is expected in 2022, which the report said is therefore likely to contribute to a sustained high level of domestic prices.
However, EU poultry production is expected to increase very slightly by 0.5% in 2022. This would still be below pre-Covid-19 pandemic levels.