Summary of our market study
The French meat processing and preservation market is estimated at 19 billion euros.
The global market for meat production, particularly beef and mutton, is estimated at $1,150 billion.
In the beef sector, the United States and Brazil lead global production. China dominates the sheepmeat market.
The French cattle and sheep slaughterhouse market
Despite the decline in the number of slaughterhouses and their workforce, the size of the meat processing and preservation market grew by almost 31% between 2000 and 2021, to reach a value of just over 19 billion euros.
The French market is made up of 265 slaughterhouses, faced with a contraction in the number of slaughters and consumer concerns about animal welfare.
The number of controlled cattle slaughters has fallen by 20% since 2000. For sheep, the reduction in slaughter volume is less pronounced from 2015 to 2020, at around 1.6%, but reaches 30% for cattle
The French sector is becoming increasingly concentrated, with the Bigard group dominating, and public abattoirs facing financial difficulties. 90% of production and slaughtering is handled by just five industrial operators. The slaughtering industry has also seen its workforce decline, from over 41,000 in 2007 to less than 39,000.
France's trade balance is in surplus for live animals, and in deficit for processed meat. The coverage rate is 80% for beef and 10% for sheepmeat.
Supermarkets and hypermarkets are the main distribution channels for meat
Consumer price indices for beef and mutton have grown at higher rates than for commodities in general.
Beef and sheep meat industry players
- The Bigard Group:
At the forefront of the French meat industry is the Bigard Group. The group comprises 28 slaughterhouses and buys over half of France's beef production. It is the market leader in beef, but also in pork.
- Public abattoirs :
Public abattoirs are in a precarious situation. Over the years, the number of public abattoirs has dwindled, and their market share in meat production and slaughtering has shrunk considerably. Many public abattoirs are in a difficult situation. They allow farmers to pay only for the slaughter service, enabling them to recover the meat for further processing.
- The role of intermediaries :
Live-animal traders, livestock markets and agricultural cooperative sales agents form an essential bridge between farmers and slaughterhouses
The Fédération des marchés de Bétail vif (FMBV) and the Fédération française des commerçants en bestiaux (FFCB) cover significant market shares.
to understand this market
Detailed content of our market study
Inforamtion
- Number of pages : ~ 40 pages
- Format : Digital and PDF versions
- Last update :
Summary and extracts
1 Market overview
1.1 Definition and scope of study
Slaughterhouses are establishments in which animals are slaughtered and prepared for consumption. This study covers cattle slaughterhouses (veal, young cattle, bulls, steers, cows, heifers) and sheep slaughterhouses (lambs, ewe lambs, rams, ewes, sheep)
The international meat market will continue to grow, with a total increase in sales of 39% between 2020 and 2025. Indeed, world production of beef, dominated by the USA and Brazil, and of sheepmeat, dominated by China, has risen sharply over the past decade.
The French market, made up of 265 slaughterhouses, is growing slightly, although the number of cattle and sheep slaughterings is declining. The sector has become increasingly concentrated over the past two decades, with the Bigard group dominating the market. Public abattoirs, for their part, are experiencing a more complicated situation, and their future is in jeopardy.
The national market is being impacted by growing consumer concern for animal welfare .
1.2 The growing global market
The market for the production, processing and packaging of meat products (***) of *%, representing a total increase of **% between **** and ****. This increase will be driven in particular by demographic growth, industry automation and innovation, as well as an upmarket offering. [***]
Global meat industry market size World, **** - ****, in billions of USD Source: ...
1.3 Domestic market
Insee provides the market size in ****, as well as the annual sales index for the "processing and preservation of butcher's meat" (***).
Category **.**Z (***) comprises :
the operation of slaughterhouses engaged in the slaughter of animals for slaughter, and the preparation and packaging of meat: beef, pork, lamb, rabbit, mutton, buffalo, bison, etc. production ...
1.4 A positive trade balance for live animals but negative for meat
With regard to imports and exports, it's worth distinguishing between trade in live animals and trade in already-processed meat. Indeed, the latter constitutes a form of competition for slaughterhouses, while the former supplies slaughterhouses with "raw material" for processing.
Live animals :
Cattle
The trade balance for large cattle is largely positive. ...
2 Demand analysis
2.1 Decrease in meat consumption
Total meat consumption in France over the past decade has fallen very slightly, with average annual per capita meat consumption (***) down by just *.*% between **** and ****. However, this slight decline has been a structural trend for * decades, with a *.*% drop in **** compared to ****, and a *.*% drop between **** and ****.
While meat consumption in ...
2.2 Demand for beef and sheep meat
Penetration rates
The following graph shows the penetration rate of beef and sheep meat in France. The penetration rate is an indicator that reflects the proportion of consumers in relation to the number of potential customers (***) who purchased the product during the year.
In detail, the penetration rate for beef, excluding ...
2.3 More and more demand for organic meat
According to an IFOP survey for Interbev, among French meat eaters (***), before remaining stable by fluctuating +/- * points since then.
Frequency of organic meat consumption France, ****, in Source: ****
In detail, the proportion of organic meat consumers is highest among the over-**s (***).
The main reasons for consuming organic meat are respect ...
2.4 Demand trends: animal welfare takes center stage
Over the past decade, there has been a growing concern about animal welfare in the meat industry, provoked and/or accentuated by videos from the L*** association that have raised public awareness.
According to a **** IFOP poll for the ** Millions d'Amis foundation, a very large majority of French people (***) agree that ...
3 Market structure
3.1 Meat industry value chain
Slaughterhouses are at the heart of the supply chain, upstream from processing and distribution, and downstream from livestock farming and intermediaries/live animal traders. The latter play a major role between livestock farmers and slaughterhouses. Intermediaries can be of several kinds. There are, for example, livestock markets, where buyers and sellers ...
3.2 Slaughter market structure
Slaughterhouse activity is listed under NAF code **.**Z: processing and preservation of butcher's meat (***) but excludes poultry and game.
Between **** and ****, the number of establishments fell by **% (***).
Number of meat processing and preservation establishments France, **** - ****, in number of establishments Source: ****
Workforce registered under activity **.**Z France, **** - ****, in headcount Source: ...
3.3 Production: slaughter volumes down
The main indicator of production at French slaughterhouses is slaughter volume. There is a downward trend in the volume of cattle and sheep slaughtered in France. In fact, in ****, the number of controlled cattle slaughters fell by *% compared to ****, **% compared to **** and **% compared to ****. For sheep, although the drop is less ...
3.4 Production: limited yields
Throughout the value chain (***), from animal transport to processing, there are numerous losses. As a result, yields from animal to plate are limited and vary according to the animal:
Cattle:
For a whole suckler cow (***) with an "empty live" weight, i.e. when the animal is alive, of *** kilograms, the losses ...
3.5 Distribution channels dominated by supermarkets
The main distribution channels for beef and sheep meat to consumers, and therefore the main customers for abattoirs, are supermarkets and hypermarkets. Specialized stores (***) are also major players in the distribution chain.
Beef:
For beef, **.*% of distribution is captured by hypermarkets and supermarkets. Specialized stores, meanwhile, account for **.*% of the volume ...
4 Offer analysis
4.1 Sharp rises in meat prices
The following two graphs show the evolution of the consumer price indexes for beef and sheep meat in relation to the general price index. The price index is used to estimate the average variation in prices of products consumed by households. It is based on the observation of a fixed basket ...
4.2 Supply trends: animal welfare and short distribution channels
Animal welfare, a key issue for slaughterhouses
Over the past few years, the issue of animal welfare in slaughterhouses has become increasingly important, particularly in the wake of videos released by L*** that raised public awareness.[***]
The France Relance plan, launched in December ****, includes an envelope of *** million euros dedicated to ...
5 Regulations
5.1 The main regulatory standards governing the meat industry
Non-exhaustive list.
The " Hygiene Package ": this is a set of European hygiene standards designed to ensure a minimum level of food safety on a European scale, and binding on all players in the food chain. They mainly comprise the following regulations: Regulation (***) n°***/****, Regulation (***) n°***/****, Regulation (***) n°***/****, Regulation (***) n°***/****, Regulation (***) n°***/****, Regulation ...
5.2 slaughterhouse regulations
Killing rules are harmonized at European level by EC Regulation n°****/**** of September **, ****. The Commission and the European Parliament thus set minimum requirements for slaughter in Europe. However, each member state can then set more stringent rules. For example, France has chosen to exclude kids and suckling lambs from the poultry ...
6 Positioning the players
6. Segmentation
- Bigard groupe
- Elivia
- Sovileg
- Abattoir municipalde Sisteron
- SAB Abattage de la Bressandière Parthenay
- Sicarev
- Couedic Madore
- Quintin Viandes
- Tendriade (Van Drie Group)
- AIVT
- Culture viande Syndicat
- Facomia (Bobet Groupe)
- M.Serra
- Mecanova
- Cooperl Arc Atlantique
List of charts presented in this market study
- Number of meat processing and preservation plants
- Employees registered under activity 10.11Z
- Number of cattle slaughterhouses
- Controlled slaughter of cattle and sheep
- Gross domestic meat production
All our studies are available online in PDF format
Take a look at an example of our research on another market!
Latest news
Cooperl slingers miss the mark - 27/06/2024
- - Cooperl sales: nearly 3 billion euros.
- - Number of Cooperl employees: 7,700.
- - Actual number of Cooperl members: 4,600
- - Number of regular suppliers: 3,000.
Cooperl, the pork heavyweight, a victim of inflation - 25/09/2023
- Cooperl is France's number-two pork producer, with 30 plants.
- 17 of its sites specialize in cooked charcuterie.
- Two plants are threatened with closure: Goussainville in Val-d'Oise and Lampaulaise de Salaisons at Ergué-Gabéric in Finistère.
- These two plants employed around 200 people.
- The price of pork has risen from 1.40 euros to 2.10 euros per kilo in the space of a year.
- Group sales are 2.8 billion euros.
- Inflation has risen by 20% in all supermarket food segments in two years.
- Household purchases of products such as meat, fish, poultry and charcuterie have fallen by 2% in 2023 compared with 2022.
- Charcuterie manufacturers have recorded 19 bankruptcies since the beginning of the year.
- Cooperl employs 3,000 members.
France risks no longer being self-sufficient in pork - 26/11/2022
- Historically self-sufficient in pork, France produces 105% of what it consumes, i.e. 2.3 million tons of meat per year
- Production is set to fall by 3% by 2022
- One third of volumes exported
- 25% of consumption is imported (ham and charcuterie)
- energy costs could rise to 8% of sales
- Cooperl, a heavyweight in the sector with 2,950 member breeders and sales of 2.45 billion euros in 2021
- at the beginning of the year, farmers benefited from a €270 million emergency plan to cope with soaring feed costs
Cooperl steps up the pace in charcuterie - 17/06/2022
- Brocéliande, Madrange and Montagne Noir are its three main charcuterie brands.
- Brocéliande range switches to nitrite-free preservation (50% of references)
- The brand arrives at Intermarché
- Since 2021, the Ô Petits Légumes range, awarded the LSA Innovation Trophy, has incorporated 30% vegetables into its ham recipes
- Cooperl is France's number-one pork producer
- Its charcuterie sales are down by 3 to 4%
- Since 2008, France's number-one pork producer has focused on upgrading its breeding facilities and producing antibiotic-free meat.
Companies quoted in this study
This study contains a complete overview of the companies in the market, with the latest figures and news for each company. :
Choosing this study means :
Access to more than 35 hours of work
Our studies are the result of over 35 hours of research and analysis. Using our studies allows you to devote more time and added value to your projects.
Benefit from 6 years' experience and over 1,500 industry reports already produced
Our expertise enables us to produce comprehensive studies in all sectors, including niche and emerging markets.
Our know-how and methodology enable us to produce reports that offer unique value for money.
Access to several thousand articles and paid-for data
Businesscoot has access to all the paid economic press as well as exclusive databases to carry out its market research (over 30,000 articles and private sources).
To enhance our research, our analysts also use web indicators (semrush, trends, etc.) to identify market trends and company strategies. (Consult our paying sources)
Guaranteed support after your purchase
A team dedicated to after-sales service, to guarantee you a high level of satisfaction. +44 238 097 0676
A digital format designed for our users
Not only do you have access to a PDF, but also to a digital version designed for our customers. This version gives you access to sources, data in Excel format and graphics. The content of the study can therefore be easily retrieved and adapted for your specific needs.
Our offers :
The complete report Pack 5 études (-15%) France
- 5 études au prix de 75,6€HT par étude à choisir parmi nos 800 titres sur le catalogue France pendant 12 mois
- Conservez -15% sur les études supplémentaires achetées
- Choisissez le remboursement des crédits non consommés au terme des 12 mois (durée du pack)
Consultez les conditions du pack et de remboursement des crédits non consommés.
Our customer references
They have consulted our studies
Discover the opinions (+500)
Malcolm Vincent
Astoria Finance
Gregoire de Castelnau
Stags Participations
Timothé Huignard
PWC
Paul-Alexis Kebabtchieff
BCG
Aymeric Granet
Publicis Consultant
interviews & case studies
All interviews and case studies (45)
