Beef consumption in the world and the European Union: recent evolutions and prospects.

This paper proposes an analysis of past and future beef consumption patterns in the world and the European Union (EU). Per capita and total beef consumption decreased in the EU over the past decade but evolutions differ significantly among the various Member States. However, EU beef consumption recovered from the second BSE crisis, except in Germany. Prospects suggest that world beef trade should increase in the medium and long term. The EU would not be able to take profit from this increase because of its low price competitiveness relative to other exporters. The EU beef market equilibrium is highly sensitive to various parameters related to assumptions on production, imports, per capita consumption and subsidised exports. The enlargement process of the EU to Central and Eastern European countries appears as an opportunity for EU-15 beef producers since these countries should be net importers of beef meat in 2010.