Broiler chicken production in Portugal monthly 2020-2023

Appetite is born at the table, it is said in Portugal, and traditional Portuguese cuisine often includes meat, namely broiler chicken. By November 2023, almost 18 million broiler chickens were produced in Portugal. When compared to the corresponding period of the preceding year, the volume of broiler chicken production decreased, and it was in August 2020 that the highest number of specimens was recorded, at 23.8 million broiler chickens.

Chicken over every other animal for consumption in Portugal

The prevalence of chicken production is evident when compared to livestock. In November 2023, almost 464,000 pigs were slaughtered for public consumption, while, in the same month, nearly 36,000 sheep had the same destiny. Together with cattle, these are the most produced livestock samples, but poultry takes the throne as the most produced animal for consumption by afar.

Meat at the base of Portuguese eating habits

Even though exportation of live animals and animal fats have a relevant weight in Portuguese agricultural exports, the production volume of broiler chickens can also be explained by the traditional eating habits found in Portugal. Indeed, in 2022, almost 119 kilograms of meat were consumed per capita. Poultry subdued all other animal species, with the average Portuguese ingesting 43 kilograms of this type of meat. The consumption of animal protein in Portugal is much superior to estimates for the European Union, which anticipate that, by 2025, meat consumption will be around 52 kilograms per capita. The high price of meat alternatives was, in 2023, the main factor responsible for the great volume of meat consumed in Portugal. Almost half of the Portuguese recognized, moreover, that they would eat less meat if the alternatives were tastier.