Germany’s meat production remained virtually unchanged in 2025, reaching 6.9 million tonnes. According to preliminary figures from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), commercial slaughterhouses produced 0.2 %-or 15,400 tonnes-less meat than the previous year.
In total, roughly 48.5 million farm animals-including pigs, cattle, sheep, goats, and horses-and 697.3 million poultry were slaughtered in 2025. The previous year, 2024, was the first time since 2016 that production had risen again, when 8.3 million tonnes had marked the record high. By comparison, the 2025 slaughter volume fell 17 % relative to that peak.
The total number of slaughtered animals stood at 44.9 million in 2025, a slight increase of 0.6 % (about 259,700 animals) over 2024. Domestic pigs accounted for a 2 % rise, reaching 44.1 million animals. In contrast, the number of imported pigs slaughtered on German premises dropped sharply by 43.3 % to 759,200.
German slaughterhouses produced approximately 4.3 million tonnes of pork in 2025, a 1.1 % (49,100 tonnes) increase over 2024. Commercial cattle slaughter fell 7.3 % to 2.8 million animals, and beef output slipped 6 % to 0.9 million tonnes.
Poultry meat production stayed level with 2024 at 1.6 million tonnes. Within that, broiler production rose 3.6 % to 1.1 million tonnes, while turkey meat fell 7.7 % to 376,800 tonnes. In total, 697.3 million poultry were processed, including 640.3 million broilers, 20.7 million layer hens, 27.6 million turkeys, and 8.3 million ducks.
