Upcoming Trade Shows in Belgium for Animals & Pets

Belgium’s animal industry reflects the country’s diverse topography, which has created different trends across regions. In the North, the Flemish region, sandy plains and high population density have fostered highly intensive farming with a focus on dairy production, pigs and poultry. Small-scale farming prevails, particularly in the urbanized central part, characterized by numerous small farms with aging and less dynamic farm holders. Moving to the central region, spanning from West to East and largely part of the Walloon territory, we see the rise of medium-sized and large farms. These farms specialize in extensive farming, often combined with cattle farming, particularly for meat production. The loamy soil in this area contributes to a different farming landscape compared to the North. The South of Belgium is less intensively farmed due to a combination of low population density and less favorable physical conditions. Farming here is centered around mixed cattle rearing. A big concern for Belgium’s livestock sector, and agriculture overall, is the ageing demographic of its farmers. According to Statbel, 55% of farm managers in 2022 were aged 55 or over. Only 6% of farm managers were under 35, which spells out a clear disinterest from younger generations, who consider farming to be a demanding line of work without adequate financial returns. A further look into the structure of farms reveals that Belgium’s farming sector is the most male dominated across Europe with 85.2% of farm managers being men against the European average of 68.4%. Livestock farming holds a significant place in Belgium at the moment as it makes up 44.1% of the agricultural sector, but its role is steadily being diminished as there’s a decline in the importance of livestock farming between 2010 and 2020. Time will tell what’s to come of livestock farming in the country, but right now Belgium’s animal industry is still a considerable agriculture force.