Beef deficit in new EU states

Further enlargement of the EU to 27 member states on January 1, 2007, is unlikely to have any negative effect on the livestock trade within the EU because of low output.

On the positive side the inclusion of Bulgaria and Romania will increase the EU population to almost 30 million, which will increase the consumer base and should be beneficial in the longer term.

The principal meat in the diet in the combined countries is pig meat, followed by beef with sheep meat on a low level but showing an increase. Between them they are only 74% self-sufficient in beef, 78% self-sufficient in pig meat and 102% is supplied in home production of sheep meat.