The French animal sectors in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic

Abstract

This article presents an analysis of the economic situation of several animal sectors (cow's milk, beef, pork, poultry and horses) in France, two years after the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Using the latest statistical data available for the period 2020 to 2021 and considering the historical trajectories followed, it seeks to highlight how this health crisis has had implications for production, prices, consumption, foreign trade and, in the case of the equine sector, various activities (horse betting, attendance at riding schools…). The production of agricultural goods was generally little affected by the health crisis, as farmers continued to produce, sometimes despite certain difficulties such as lack of manpower, temporary loss of outlets, etc. Faced with a significant change in the structure of demand (increase in products purchased by households to the detriment of those favoured in out-of-home catering), sudden measures imposed by the State and the difficulties sometimes encountered in maintaining the number of employees, processing actors were able to adapt quickly to enable them to supply consumers with the goods they demanded. Trade flows were also disrupted in 2020, before picking up again in 2021, following trends that are ultimately quite consistent with those seen before the crisis. Under the influence, on the one hand, of higher energy prices (even before the war in Ukraine which started on February 24, 2022) and, on the other hand, of fluctuating imports from China on the world markets, producer prices increased at the end of 2021, but this increase is counterbalanced by an increase in production costs. In the equine sector, turnover losses have been temporarily significant due to the strong interaction of this sector with the public. After the shock of 2020, and thanks to a strong adaptation of the actors, the activities are gradually resuming.