Around 60 per cent of Belgian pig meat is exported, according to the German meat industry association, VDF.

For the period January to June 2013, the total volume exported was around 353,000 tonnes, which is 21,000 tonnes more than the corresponding period in the previous year.

The total value of these exports for the period was around €680 million, seven per cent more than in the first six months of 2012.

The greatest share of the pig meat volume was destined for other EU countries, with 40 per cent to Germany, an increase of 3.3 per cent from the previous year. Second market is Poland, which took almost 24 per cent more German pig meat than in January to June 2012 but the Netherlands imported 27 per cent more from its neighbour than last year. Volumes to Italy and the UK were almost unchanged.

With a volume of 30,700 tonnes, Belgium imported 17 per cent less pig meat in the first half of 2013 than the previous year so the country's increase in domestic output was all exported.