Germany's egg industry thrives at home but struggles with falling exports in 2025
Germany's egg industry saw major shifts in 2025, with production and trade figures highlighting both domestic strength and growing challenges. The country produced 13.7 billion eggs last year, yet exports dropped by 11.6% compared to 2024. Meanwhile, imports fell by 3.8% as consumption per person climbed to 252 eggs annually. Domestic egg production remained robust in 2025, reaching 13.7 billion. Despite this, exports shrank to 1.2 billion eggs, an 11.6% decline from the previous year. The drop continues a longer trend of slowing growth, driven by high energy costs, heavy bureaucracy, and weakened competitiveness. Between 2000 and 2015, exports grew by 4.5% annually, but this rate fell to 2.6% from 2015 to 2019 and just 0.6% from 2019 to 2023.
Recent pressures have worsened the decline. Trade with China slumped by 13.2% in January 2026 alone, while tensions in the Middle Eastāincluding the Iran conflictāraised shipping costs and uncertainty. Additional hurdles include US tariffs and stronger competition from Chinese chemical producers. Imports also shrank, dropping 3.8% from 2024 to 5.4 billion eggs in 2025. The Netherlands dominated as the top supplier, providing 68.7% (3.7 billion) of Germany's fresh egg imports. Poland followed with 15.9% (861 million), while Belgium contributed 3.5% (190 million). Overall, imports have fallen by 20.9% since 2015. At home, Germans consumed an average of 252 eggs per person in 2025, reflecting steady demand despite the trade fluctuations.
Germany's egg sector faces a mixed outlook for 2026. While domestic production stays high and consumption remains strong, exports continue to weaken under economic and geopolitical pressures. The reliance on imports, particularly from the Netherlands, persists even as total foreign purchases decline.
