Europe’s compound feed sector is closing 2025 in a holding pattern rather than a growth phase. Gains in poultry feed are broadly neutralised by continued weakness in pig feed and regulatory pressure in several key markets. The result is a resilient but constrained industry, balancing disease risks, policy limits and uneven national trajectories.

The EU compound feed market is expected to remain broadly stable in 2025, according to newly released forecasts from FEFAC market experts. Total industrial compound feed production in the EU27 is projected to reach 147.5 million tonnes, representing a marginal increase of 0.4% compared to 2024. Rather than signalling renewed momentum, the figure reflects a sector managing to hold its ground amid persistent uncertainty, from animal disease outbreaks to regulatory and environmental constraints.

Across species, cattle feed production is forecast at 41.585 million tonnes, virtually unchanged year on year. National developments, however, reveal diverging paths. Germany is expected to grow by around 3%, while Denmark and Poland are also set for moderate increases. In contrast, the Netherlands is forecast to see a sharp decline of 5%, largely linked to regulatory policies affecting livestock numbers. Spain, the EU’s largest cattle feed producer, is expected to record a 3% decrease. Elsewhere, production is mostly flat to slightly lower, reflecting both environmental pressures and renewed concerns linked to outbreaks of highly infectious foot-and-mouth disease.

POULTRY GROWTH OFFSETS PIG FEED DRAG

Pig feed remains the weakest segment of the EU compound feed market. Production in 2025 is forecast at 47.339 million tonnes, down 0.5% from the previous year. Germany and France are expected to post declines of 1.9% and 1.6% respectively, while the Netherlands stands out with a projected contraction of 10%. Spain, by far the largest producer, is expected to stabilise at around 13.2 million tonnes, offering some support to the overall balance.

Not all markets are moving in the same direction. Poland is forecast to grow by 2.7%, Portugal by 1.8% and Ireland by 3.2%, while Bulgaria is projected to see a notable increase of 9%. Nevertheless, African swine fever continues to exert structural pressure on pig production in several regions, limiting the scope for a broader recovery.

Poultry feed is the clear growth engine for 2025. Despite ongoing challenges from avian influenza, EU poultry feed production is forecast to increase by 1.5% to 50.653 million tonnes. Spain and Belgium are set to post robust gains of 5.8% and 5% respectively, while France is expected to grow by 1% to 8.143 million tonnes. Poland, another major producer, is forecast to expand by 2.3% to 7.44 million tonnes.

Taken together, the figures point to an EU compound feed sector that is resilient but constrained; stable in volume, yet lacking the drivers for a decisive upswing.

FEFAC represents the EU compound feed manufacturers and regularly publishes market outlooks that are widely used as a benchmark for production trends, policy impacts and animal disease risks across Member States.