Spain’s poultry meat production lower in 2013

Production of poultry meat in Spain contracted by 1.06 percent in 2013 to stand at 1.4 million tons. Average prices for poultry meat in the country also were slightly lower. 
Chicken, which accounted for 82 percent of total poultry meat production last year, is the second most consumed meat in Spain, behind pork. If, however, only fresh meat is considered, then chicken is the meat of choice in Spain. The country is thought to have witnessed a decrease in meat consumption during the economic crisis. The share of poultry meat in total of meat consumed, however, has grown.
Data from Spain’s Ministry of Agriculture reveal that total poultry production in 2013 was worth EUR2.3 billion (US$3.1 billion), accounting for 5.3 percent of overall agricultural output. The industry is considered one the main drivers of the country’s agricultural sector.
While overall output may have dropped in 2013, exports of poultry meat increased. Those to other members of the European Union were up by 11 percent, while exports to third countries increased by 3.2 percent.
Spain is Europe’s third-largest chicken meat producer, accounting for 11 percent of total production, and the bloc’s fifth-largest poultry producer.