21 October 2026
Hungary’s poultry sector recorded strong expansion in slaughter volumes and foreign shipments through the first eight months of 2026, highlighted by a 28% year-on-year surge in poultry meat exports, according to the bi-weekly market report issued by the Institute of Agricultural Economics (AKI). However, the domestic market displayed stark contrasts between broiler and turkey operations, alongside falling wholesale margins across retail cuts and table eggs.
Hungarian facilities processed 554,000 tonnes of live poultry between January and August 2026, representing a 16.8% increase compared to the same period in 2025. Broiler slaughter accounted for 421,000 tonnes (+12.1%), while slaughter turkey volume reached 52,000 tonnes (+11.3%).
Poultry meat exports jumped 28% to 180,052 tonnes. Chicken meat exports advanced 23% to nearly 130,000 tonnes, while turkey meat shipments rose 19% to 18,000 tonnes, primarily destined for Poland and Romania. In tandem, domestic imports contracted by 22% to 27,731 tonnes, with Poland continuing as the primary external supplier.
In the first half of 2026, EU poultry meat exports rose 2% to 1.0 million tonnes (with the UK and Ghana absorbing a combined 45%), while EU imports increased 13% to 573,000 tonnes, largely sourced from Brazil, Ukraine, Thailand, and the UK.
Global chicken meat production is projected to reach 109.6 million tonnes in 2026 (+1.9% year-on-year), led by the United States (22.0 million tonnes), China (16.7 million tonnes), and Brazil (15.7 million tonnes). World export trade is expected to reach 14.7 million tonnes, driven primarily by Brazil (5.25 million tonnes) and the United States (3.07 million tonnes).
Institute of Agricultural Economics, AKI Agrárközgazdasági Intézet (Poultry Market Report, Vol. XXVI, Issue 21/2026).
