The meat supply balance sheet published by Statbel, Belgium's statistical office, reveals that pork is the favourite meat consumed by Belgians.
The apparent consumption of pork is calculated by how much of the available meat is on the market. In the past year, net meat production increased by 2.3 percent, compared to 2020. The overall increase is due to the individual increases in the slaughtering of pigs, sheep, goats and poultry.
Credit: Statbel
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2021 also marked "an intensification of trade in meat," according to the report. Belgium saw an increase of 4.3 percent in exports and 3.7 in imports. Sales in pigmeat are credited for the overall trade increase.
That being said, the trade of live pigs decreased by 16 percent between 2020 and 2021.
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While Belgium is a small country, its pig footprint is impressive. Belgian farms raise over 6 million pigs a year for commercial sale.
Pork production has risen since 2010, reaching a record high of 12 million pigs slaughtered in Belgium in 2013. This leaves many to speculate if there are, in fact, more pigs than people in Belgium.
These numbers become more impressive when taken into account that nearly all of the pork production in Belgium occurs in Flanders. The Belgian Pork Group, which represents 7 companies (only one located in Wallonia), reports that around 420,000 tonnes of pork are processed annually for sale around the world.
