MARKETING
Patterns of trade flows in egg exports and imports – Part 4 The fourth part of the series will present patterns of trade flows for some of the leading egg exporting and importing countries. have various reasons. Several outbreaks of the Avian Influenza virus (2003, 2017) which resulted in import bans had considerable impacts on egg exports by the Netherlands. The banning of conventional cages in Germany as early as 2010 resulted in a sharp increase of German’s imports from the Netherlands. When the transformation to alternative housing systems was completed, imports decreased again. Because of the growing per capita consumption Germany had to raise its imports again from 2012 on.
The Dutch - German trade cluster
Hans-Wilhelm Windhorst The author is Professor Emeritus and Scientific Director of the Science and Innovation for Sustainable Poultry Industry (wing) Unit, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover Foundation, Germany
28
A first case study will deal with the egg exports and imports of the Netherlands and Germany. Between these two countries a close exchange of eggs has developed. The Netherlands have been the leading egg exporting country and Germany the leading egg importing country for several decades. The close market relations developed because of the direct neighborhood of the main egg producing provinces in the Netherlands and the population agglomerations along the river Rhine in Germany. Over the years, egg trade between the two countries reached volumes which do not have a parallel worldwide Figure 6 documents the considerable fluctuations of the Dutch egg exports and the German egg imports. The ups and down
- marketing -
Figure 6 – The development of egg exports by the Netherlands and egg imports by Germany between 2006 and 2017. (Source: FAO database design: A. Veauthier).
In Table 27, the Dutch egg exports and egg imports for 2016 are listed by country. Of the total export volume 65.8% were directed to Germany, followed by Belgium, Switzerland and the Russian Federation. With a share of 49.1% Germany was also the leading country of origin for egg imports, followed
