The global poultry market is constantly shifting, and every international market has its own set of challenges. These trials can create a monumental impact. This was for sure the case this past year when Covid-19 hit. Just like the rest of the world, the European poultry market suffered economic aftershock.
On top of the latest Covid-related lockdowns, limitations, and restrictions, there have been significant High Pathogenic Avian Influenza outbreaks in Europe putting further pressure on the whole food industry supply chain. This not only imposed additional restrictions but, also switched and shifted the supply and demand balance.
European poultry market economic outlook
According to Wattagnet’s recent 2021: Modest Growth Forecast, “the E.U. poultry industry has seen one of the most turbulent years. The decline of foodservice sales, representing 20-40% of distribution, shook the industry.” Wattagnet also reported Europe had 442 HPAI outbreaks in 2020.
This infographic shows a few more stats:
The road to recovery
It’s not all bad news ahead for the European market. Rabobank believes that the European Union’s poultry industry will be on the road the recovery this year, but that the outlook remains uncertain.
Wattagnet’s recent article also states “Gradual improvements are expected with 0.4% output growth in the E.U. and an increase of 1.5% in U.K. European exports are forecast to rise by 4%, while those in the U.K. could grow by 2.3%. This outlook is dependent upon Covid-19 developments including government restrictions, the economic environment, and the return of foodservice.”
According to other outlooks published by several respectable agencies and portals, “the poultry industry can look forward to only modest growth this year as the global economy rebuilds lost ground”. Some regions will recover and go through 2021 better than others.
How can technology help?
Technolgy’s role in helping to build back up the global poultry supply chain is pivotal.
During the pandemic, our software helped a large poultry company to accurately plan their employee resource management projections.
Still, other companies are turning to big data to help them understand the full business impact of last year, as well as using that data to help them plan for the year ahead.
To help with the volatility, restrictions, and constant market and pricing change poultry companies should rely on accurate production projections to make decisions, and efficiently adjust production to their everchanging goals and market fluctuations.
Now that the world is working remotely, there is a push in every industry including agriculture, to adopt digital technologies, such as video conferencing, and having a centralized data system makes it easier for everyone to collaborate.
For 30 plus years, MTech Systems has been helping poultry companies to achieve their business goals as well as to navigate unexpected changes. If you’ve been affected by the aftermath of 2020, our team of experts is here to help.
