Pork was one of the product categories that contributed most significantly to the deterioration in the EU’s overall agri-food export performance during the first five months of 2026.
According to European Union data, the total value of agri-food exports from January to May amounted to €96.9 billion. This was 3% lower than in the same period of 2025.
One of the largest contributors to the decline was pork exports, whose value decreased by €688 million, or 13% year on year.
Asian Markets Reduced Purchases
The negative trend in the pork sector was driven by two factors at the same time — lower prices for exported products and a decline in physical shipment volumes.
The most notable decreases were recorded in trade with several Asian destinations that are important markets for European pork.
In particular, the EU shipped lower volumes of pork to:
- China;
- Japan;
- the Philippines;
- Malaysia.
Asian markets have traditionally played an important role for the European pig sector, so weaker purchases across several major destinations had a significant impact on the overall value of exports.
Overall EU Agri-Food Exports Also Declined
In May 2026, the EU exported €19.3 billion worth of agri-food products.
This was 5% lower than in April and 4% below the level recorded in May last year.
In addition to pork, cocoa and olive oil also contributed negatively to the overall export trend.
Overall, the first five months of 2026 were marked by simultaneous pressure from lower prices and weaker demand in some of the key external markets for European pork. Reduced shipments to Asia were among the main factors weighing on the EU’s overall agri-food export performance.
PigUA.info, based on materials from thepigsite.com