Poultry Trade in Europe and Throughout the World
Poultry meat or chicken meat is the 130th most traded product in the world. During 2016, global exporters sold approximately US$22 billion of poultry meat. Meanwhile, importers worldwide purchased some US$18.1 billion worth of poultry meat. In 2016, the largest exporter of poultry meat in the world was Brazil, representing 28% or US$6.13 billion of global exports. Simultaneously, the United States was the world’s second largest exporter of poultry meat, accounting for 14% or US$3.2 billion, while the Netherlands was the third largest exporter totaling 11% or US$2.5 billion of global exports. On the other hand, the world’s largest importer of poultry meat during 2016 was Germany, representing 8.7% or US$1.6 billion worth of global imports, and the United Kingdom was the world’s second largest importer of poultry meat, totaling 8.6% or US$1.56 billion. That same year, Hong Kong accounted for 7.8% or US$1.4 billion, while mainland China purchased 7.1% or US$1.3 billion of global poultry meat imports.
While poultry meat is a largely traded foodstuff worldwide, live poultry is much less traded. Live poultry ranks as the 591st most traded product in the world and its trade takes place primarily within Europe. During 2016, global exporters sold approximately US$2.74 billion of live poultry, while importers worldwide purchased some US$2.55 billion. That same year, the largest exporter of live poultry in the world was Germany, representing 22% or US$605 million of global exports. Simultaneously, the Netherlands was the world’s second largest exporter of live poultry, accounting for 17% or US$464 million, while France was the third largest exporter totaling 8.2% or US$225 million of global exports. On the other hand, the world’s largest importer of live poultry during 2016 was the Netherlands, representing 29% or US$750 million worth of global imports, and Germany was the world’s second largest importer of live poultry, totaling 12% or US$310 million.
Poultry Trade in Europe and Throughout the World
As can be observed in the data above, the Netherlands is a major player as it relates to the global poultry trade. The Kingdom of the Netherlands, located in northwestern Europe, has a total territory of 41.543 square kilometers, which is almost twice the size of New Jersey. Geographically, the Netherlands is dominated by coastal lowlands and polders, with some hills throughout the interior. Furthermore, the country has 451 kilometers of coastline and a temperate seasonal climate, characterized by cool summers and mild winters. Currently, the Netherlands has a total population of 17.1 million citizens with an average age of 43 years. Likewise, about 92% of the Dutch population lives in an urban setting, notably the capital city of Amsterdam with its 1.1 million inhabitants. In economic terms, the country has a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of US$915 billion (PPP), which is divided into approximately 2% agriculture, 18% manufacturing, and 70% services. Simultaneously, the Netherlands has experienced economic growth over 2.0% throughout the last three years. Moreover, it is estimated that the agricultural industry employs 2% of the national labor force, while manufacturing employs 17% and services employ another 81%.