As a result of an 11 per cent fall in the price of Belgium exports compared to the same period last year, the value from January to June totalled €575.3 million, down 10 per cent on the first half of 2014.

Third country exports remain small, accounting for little more than 5 per cent of total shipments, and were down 2 per cent on the year.

Exports to Belgium’s main destination for pig meat, Germany, which takes over a third of shipments, were down 6 per cent year on year. In contrast, supply to Poland, Belgium’s second largest market, recorded a 19 per cent increase in the period, compared to the same time last year.

With Germany and Poland importing two thirds of Belgium’s supply between them, the remaining third is distributed amongst smaller markets.

Shipments to the Netherlands and Italy fell by 7 per cent and 16 per cent retrospectively year on year, while supplies to the UK, a relatively small export market for Belgium, increased by 24 per cent.