Germany's Poultry Demand to Grow 50% by 2040, Study Warns on Import Reliance
Berlin – September 10, 2026 -- Germany's poultry meat market is set to expand by more than 50% in volume by 2040, driven by annual demand growth of 2.1 to 2.5 percent overall and up to 3.4 percent for chicken, according to the Roland Berger Poultry Study 2026 commissioned by the Central Association of the German Poultry Industry (ZDG).
Self-sufficiency could fall from 91% to as low as 73% without new investment
Germany's poultry self-sufficiency rate stands at 91 percent today but risks dropping to between 73 and 77 percent by 2040 if domestic production capacity does not expand, the study finds. The import surplus has already grown more than eightfold, from 55,000 tonnes in 2014 to 462,000 tonnes in 2025. Chicken accounts for 82 percent of poultry imports, and roughly 60 percent of chicken imports now consist of premium cuts such as breast meat.