The meat market - Spain

Meat is a food composed of the muscle fibers of animals. A distinction is traditionally made between white and red meat, and the term may or may not include fat. The global meat market is growing fast. It is driven by growing demand from emerging countries, where rising living standards are boosting consumption. The world's leading meat-producing region is now Asia, far ahead of Europe, followed by South America and North America. The global meat market exceeds 800 billion dollars, and growth forecasts point to solid prospects for the years ahead. Poultry meat consumption is the most dynamic, and today represents the world's leading market in terms of volume, ahead of pork and beef. In Spain, meat production reaches nearly 8 million tons per year, and accounts for more than 20% of sales in the food sector as a whole. The sector employs almost 100,000 people, mainly in rural areas, which are more suited to this activity. Pork production dominates the Spanish meat industry by far, with more than 5 million tonnes a year, representing around two-thirds of the country's total production. Exports continue to grow in importance, with over 2 million tonnes exported outside the European Union. On the domestic market, butchers and traditional stores remain of key importance, accounting for around a quarter of sales, behind supermarkets and ahead of hard discounters.