EU chicken imports seen rising 1% in 2026 after strong 2025
China and Thailand gain ground as UK and Ukraine shipments decline
4 May 2026
1 minute read
By: EU chicken meat imports are expected to increase by 1% in 2026, after a 5.4% increase in 2025, according to a recent USDA Foreign Agricultural Service report.
Growth will be driven by the strong demand within the European HRI sector, which accounts for the largest share of imported chicken.
Imports from the United Kingdom, now the largest chicken meat supplier to the EU, declined 8% in 2025 due to the strict sanitary controls imposed by the EU, remaining well below their pre-Brexit levels. No rebound in UK shipments is expected for 2026.
At 136,000 MT, EU imports of Ukrainian chicken meat remained flat in 2025 as a direct consequence of the EU decision to implement reinforced safeguard measures to protect EU farmers. At the same time, the Ukrainian government set up export licenses, thus limiting Ukrainian chicken meat exports to the EU.
The implementation of the revised Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA) in October 2025 is expected to limit further growth of EU imports of Ukrainian chicken meat in 2026.
Chicken meat imports from Thailand benefited from the lower competition from Ukraine and grew by 16% in 2025.
Imports of chicken meat, mostly cooked chicken meat and chicken offal, from China grew by 36% in 2025 to more than 55,000 MT, most of it going to the Asian style HRI sector.
Further growth of imports from China is anticipated in 2026.
Imports from Brazil declined slightly, capped by the EU quota system.
