Poultry is the most consumed meat in France, despite insufficient domestic production
Although poultry is the most consumed meat in France in 2024, with consumption growing 10% in 2024 compared to 2023, the country currently imports nearly one in every two chickens. France is the third largest chicken producer in Europe (with a 12% share of production), behind Poland (21%) and Spain (13%).
In 2024, it dethroned pork and chicken is now the most consumed meat in France. Last year, each French person consumed 31.6 kg of poultry, of which 25 kg was chicken, according to the statistics service of the Ministry of Agriculture. This represents a 10% increase compared to 2023. “It is cheap compared to other meats,” estimates one mother interviewed by franceinfo. “It is easy to prepare and can be cooked in different ways: escalopes, aiguillettes, nuggets. Children love chicken.”
French production falls well short of meeting demand
However, domestic production is far from sufficient to meet demand. Today, France imports nearly one in every two chickens, whereas in the 2000s it was in surplus and was exporting. “We do not have enough poultry produced in France, so it inevitably comes from the European Community,” explained Gino Catena, president of the poultry and game trade union at Rungis market (Val-de-Marne). Around 90,000 tonnes of poultry pass through the world’s largest fresh produce market every year. “Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland — these are the main European countries from which France imports chicken.”
On the thorny issue of Ukrainian chicken, Gino Catena told franceinfo that he has never purchased chickens labelled as ‘Ukrainian’. “At Rungis, we don’t carry it.” With 200,000 tonnes per year, Ukraine is nevertheless the second largest supplier of chicken to the European Union, behind Brazil. French poultry farmers denounce the unfair competition from this meat, produced to less stringent health standards. This chicken arrives by ship to the Netherlands, where it becomes Dutch — and therefore European — after cutting or processing.
Poultry is sold primarily as cuts and processed products
Cut chicken has become the prevailing trend, according to Gino Catena: “In whole-bird or whole-carcass format, we now sell only around 15 to 20% of our volumes, while the remainder is sold as cuts and processed products. Cordons bleus, nuggets — it is an incredible evolution. We find products that must appeal to all types of customers, and especially to children.” And this is precisely why France is falling behind: its premium production — Label Rouge, or protected designation of origin products such as Bresse chicken — cannot satisfy the demand for processed products. Food industry processors need standard broiler chicken, at the entry-level price point and easy to cut.
France will need 400 new chicken farms over the next five years. This is the estimate of the Association Nationale des Volailles de Chair. The Minister of Agriculture, when asked about the issue, says she is aware of it. For Annie Genevard, the matter is key and must be on the agenda if France is to regain its food sovereignty.
For further reading:
-. French poultry farming on NeXusAvicultura