Poultry continues to dominate French feed production

In 2025, France’s animal feed production experienced a modest uptick, totaling 18.88 million tonnes—a 1.1% increase compared to 2024. This growth primarily stemmed from the poultry sector, which remains a dominant force in the industry.

Despite facing significant challenges in the form of multiple animal disease outbreaks last year—including avian influenza and lumpy skin disease—the demand for cattle feed showed notable resilience, contributing to overall growth.

The poultry segment alone accounted for over 8 million tonnes of the total production, reflecting a growth of 0.9% when juxtaposed with the previous year. Here’s a breakdown of feed usage:

• Laying hens: 2.7 million tonnes, an increase of 0.7%
• Broiler chickens: 3.4 million tonnes, up 4.3%
• Ducks: Approximately 950,000 tonnes, down 5.5%

Cattle, Pigs, Goats, and Sheep

The rise in national feed production was predominantly fueled by the cattle industry. Increased prices for milk and beef played a crucial role, despite the ongoing sanitary challenges and a slight decline in the cattle herd size, as analyzed by SNIA. Feed for dairy cows rose by 4.6%, nearing 3 million tonnes, while feed for other cattle experienced a marginal increase of 0.2%, totaling 1.16 million tonnes.

Conversely, the pig sector continued to struggle, with feed production declining by 0.9% to nearly 4.1 million tonnes. The fourth quarter of 2025 marked a year-over-year decrease of 2.8% in pig feed. Difficulties arising from the transition of farms to younger farmers have exacerbated challenges in pig farming.

Additionally, the French feed industry managed to produce 720,000 tonnes for goats and sheep, along with 578,000 tonnes for a variety of other farm animals, including rabbits and horses.

Innovation and Renewal Needed

In light of these developments, SNIA emphasized the importance of innovation within the feed industry. During a recent joint meeting, they highlighted the urgent need to make jobs in the sector more attractive to encourage generational renewal. The competitiveness of these companies hinges on innovative approaches—ranging from agile purchasing strategies to improved feed formulations and modernization of production facilities.