Supply of broiler chickens in Europe has increased sharply

The prices for broiler chickens were clearly under pressure in the first quarter. Slaughterhouses cite a larger supply as the main cause. In the Netherlands, it also plays a role that relatively heavy weights are being slaughtered, while in the European Union the number of slaughterings has clearly increased. Hatcheries also appear to have expanded their capacity. The price for free range broiler chickens fell in March and April by about €0.12 per kilo weight. In this period, a clear increase was recorded in previous years. The quotation reached the lowest level in more than 2 years. That indicates a larger market than in previous years. At the same time, prices remain high in historical terms. That suggests that demand for poultry meat is still strong. Number of slaughterings has increased significantly The number of poultry slaughterings (broiler chickens and laying hens) in the EU-27 showed a sharp increase in the first quarter. In the first quarter of 2025, there was still limited growth compared with a year earlier, due to a large number of bird flu outbreaks in northwestern Europe. That effect appears to be clearly smaller this year. In all three months, the number of slaughterings was higher, according to combined data from Eurostat and Statistics Poland. The increase was especially clear in March. Although figures from some smaller countries are still missing, the number of slaughterings is already well above the level of last spring. In March, more than 580 million chickens were processed, compared with more than 540 million a year earlier. That is an increase of more than 40 million head, or more than 7%. Most of this growth comes from Poland, where about 21 million more animals were processed. Number of hatched hatching eggs normalizes The high number of slaughterings is related to the number of hatching eggs for broiler chickens that hatched in that period. This was well above the 2025 level, especially in March. In that month, about 620 million eggs were hatched, some 75 million more than a year earlier. These chicks reach slaughter weight six to ten weeks later, so the number of slaughterings in April and May was probably also high. In April, the number of hatched hatching eggs fell slightly again. Growth compared with last year came to about 40 million head. The level was also lower than in March, which may provide some relief in supply in June and July compared with the months before.