EU chicken imports set for modest growth in 2026 as supplier shifts continue
China and Thailand expand share as UK and Ukraine shipments weaken
EUROPE – EU chicken meat imports are projected to increase by 1% in 2026 following a 5.4% rise recorded in 2025, according to a USDA Foreign Agricultural Service outlook, with demand from the hotel, restaurant and institutional sector remaining the main driver of import activity.
Imports from the United Kingdom, which remains the EU’s largest external supplier of chicken meat, dropped by 8% in 2025 due to stricter sanitary requirements applied after Brexit, and no recovery in shipment volumes is expected in 2026.
Ukrainian shipments also remained subdued at 136,000 metric tonnes in 2025 after the EU introduced reinforced safeguard measures alongside Ukrainian export licensing rules, while the revised trade framework expected in 2025 is likely to continue limiting growth into 2026.
As Ukraine and the UK lost momentum, Thailand expanded its position with import volumes rising 16% in 2025, supported by reduced competition from Ukrainian suppliers in the EU market.
China recorded the fastest growth among major suppliers, with exports increasing 36% in 2025 to more than 55,000 metric tonnes, mainly comprising cooked chicken products and offal for Asian-style foodservice channels, with further expansion expected in 2026.
Brazilian shipments eased slightly over the same period, constrained by EU quota limits that continue to cap entry volumes for higher-value poultry cuts.
Import volumes decline in 2025 despite shifting supplier gains
Between January and November 2025, total EU poultry imports fell by 6% year-on-year to 345,302 tonnes, reflecting reduced flows from Ukraine and Brazil as well as stronger domestic production within the bloc.
Within that total, frozen chicken imports slipped by 1%.
In comparison, fresh chicken volumes declined by 9%, even as EU production reached an estimated 14.1 million tonnes in 2024, representing a 6% increase from the previous year.
Poland remained the leading EU producer with a 20.5% share of output, followed by Spain and France, while intra-EU trade flows were led by exporters such as Poland (510,380 tonnes), the Netherlands (360,270 tonnes), and Belgium, which contributed significant volumes.
At the same time, the Netherlands led EU import destinations with 169,720 tonnes, followed by France at 42,470 tonnes and Austria at 35,400 tonnes, while EU exports continued to flow mainly toward the United Kingdom, Ghana and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
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