Upcoming Trade Shows Brussels, Belgium for Animals & Pets

Diets in Belgium, and in Northern Europe as a whole, might be leaning towards less meat, but the meat production is still registering high activity. Belgium’s slaughterhouses are riding high on a surge in production to meet both domestic and global demand. In April 2023 alone, 25,680,912 animals were processed in slaughterhouses all over the country. Provisional data from Belstat, the Belgian statistics agency, reveals that over 24 million chickens, 62,783 bovine animals and 839,260 pigs were slaughtered that April. This surge in production broke previous records, hitting 1.39 billion kilograms in animal carcass production, which surpassed the previous highest record set back in 2015. A closer look at the statistics unveils intriguing trends. The total slaughter weight of cattle has decreased by 6% since 2019, indicative of a broader trend in reduced cattle slaughter within the country. Horse meat, considered taboo in many regions, has experienced a decline with slaughter weights plummeting by 71% since 2019. In contrast, Belgium’s preference for chicken remains consistent, only strengthened by the proliferation of fast-food chicken establishments nationwide. The total weight of processed chicken carcasses has steadily risen by approximately 1% each year since 2016. Flanders emerged as the leader in animal slaughter, accounting for around 91% of all meat processed in the country, according to official statistics. This brings us to the animal processing industry in Brussels, where the Anderlecht Abattoir has been an active slaughterhouse for the past 140 years. Despite these record numbers, the Abattoir has announced it will cease animal slaughter on its premises in 2028 once its contract runs out. The Anderlecht slaughterhouse holds a unique position as one of the few short-circuit meat production operations in Belgium. Notably, it is a crucial supplier of Halal and Kosher meat, filling a void in regions where ritual slaughter practices are prohibited.