Market evolution: Sausages and similar products (CN 1601) — 2015–2025

Introduction

Customs code 1601 covers sausages and similar products made from meat, meat offal, blood, or insects, as well as food preparations based on these products. Over the 2015–2025 period, the European Union consolidated its position as a major net exporter in this category. The trade surplus widened from roughly €800 million to nearly €1.45 billion, driven overwhelmingly by export growth. While EU imports remained a small fraction of total trade — never exceeding €44 million per year — exports climbed from approximately €830 million to €1.49 billion, representing a gain of nearly 80%. This report examines the main dynamics behind this expansion, the dominant role of the United Kingdom, and the shifting geography of EU sausage trade.

An overview of the trade figures is available on the EU Trade Dashboard for CN 1601.

1. A Price-Driven Export Boom

Export value nearly doubled while volumes grew by only a tenth

The most striking feature of the 2015–2025 period is the divergence between EU export value and export volume. Export value rose by 79.4%, from €829.8 million in 2015 to €1,489.0 million in 2025. Over the same period, export quantity increased by just 10.3%, from 231,066 tonnes to 254,930 tonnes. The bulk of the value growth was therefore driven by rising unit values rather than by selling significantly larger quantities abroad.

Rising unit values reflect input-cost inflation and product-mix shifts

The average export price per tonne rose from €3,591 to €5,841, a 62.6% increase. This likely reflects a combination of factors: rising input costs (energy, feed, labour) that pushed prices upward across the EU food-processing sector, as well as a possible shift towards higher-value processed and branded products in the export mix. The fact that unit values climbed steadily — reaching a maximum of €5,849/tonne — suggests persistent upward cost pressures rather than a one-off shock.

Import volumes declined even as import values edged upward

EU imports of CN 1601 products from non-EU countries tell a contrasting story. Import value grew modestly by 19.0%, from €29.5 million to €35.1 million, but import volumes actually fell by 20.0%, from 9,905 tonnes to 7,924 tonnes. This means the import unit value rose by 48.7% (from €2,975 to €4,425 per tonne), mirroring the export-side price trend. The EU's net trade surplus consequently widened from €800.3 million to €1,453.9 million (+81.7%), underscoring that the EU is structurally self-sufficient in this product category and a strong net exporter.

2. The United Kingdom as Anchor Market and a Brexit-Related Price Shock

The UK absorbs the lion's share of EU sausage exports — and dominates imports too

The United Kingdom is by far the EU's largest trade partner for CN 1601 products in both directions. In 2015, the UK accounted for €484.3 million of EU exports; by 2025, this figure had risen to €931.6 million, a 92.4% increase. The UK's share of total extra-EU export value was approximately 62% in 2025. On the import side, the UK supplied €24.7 million in 2015 and €27.7 million in 2025, representing around 79% of total EU imports from non-EU countries in the final year.

The volatility of trade with the UK is remarkably low: the coefficient of variation for exports to the UK is just 0.079, the lowest among all major export partners, reflecting a deep and stable commercial relationship. Import volatility (CV = 0.285) is somewhat higher, but still moderate.

Details on trade partners are available at Partners breakdown.

A pronounced price shock on EU imports from the UK in 2017

The data reveals a significant price shock on EU imports from the United Kingdom centred on 2017. The abnormality score was 17.9 — the highest detected shock in the dataset — with a unit-value shift of +37.7% and a value share of 93.1% of all import flows. This timing coincides with the aftermath of the June 2016 Brexit referendum and the sharp depreciation of the British pound that followed. A weaker pound made UK-sourced goods relatively more expensive in euro terms, which is consistent with the observed spike in import unit values. That this was classified as a price shock rather than a volume shock aligns with the currency-transmission channel: the physical trade continued, but at markedly higher euro-denominated prices.

Shock detection details can be explored at Supply shocks.

Post-Brexit trade proved resilient despite structural changes

Despite the UK's departure from the EU single market and customs union (formally completed in January 2021), EU–UK sausage trade did not collapse. UK exports from the EU continued to grow, nearly doubling in value over the full period. This resilience likely reflects the deep supply-chain integration in meat processing between the EU and UK, as well as the absence of tariffs under the EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement for qualifying goods. The relationship, while affected by new customs formalities, remains the backbone of the EU's CN 1601 trade.

3. Diversifying Partnerships and Strengthening Member State Specialisation

High-growth export markets emerged outside the traditional European orbit

Beyond the UK, several non-traditional partners experienced rapid growth in EU sausage exports. The most notable is the United States, where EU exports surged by 364.7%, from €15.9 million in 2015 to €73.8 million in 2025 — making it the fourth-largest export destination. Exports to Serbia more than doubled (+123.8%, from €10.8 million to €24.1 million), while shipments to Kosovo rose by 131.2% (from €6.5 million to €15.0 million). These trends point to growing demand in both the transatlantic and Western Balkan markets.

At the same time, some formerly significant markets contracted sharply. Exports to Angola — the second-largest non-EU destination in 2015 at €54.7 million — fell by 86.9% to just €7.2 million. Exports to Saudi Arabia declined by 43.6%. These declines may reflect shifting consumer preferences, local competition, or currency and economic difficulties in those markets.

Import sources diversified, though volatility remains high for smaller partners

On the import side, the United Kingdom continued to dominate, but smaller suppliers grew from negligible bases. Imports from Serbia rose from €76,000 to €1.5 million (+1,882%), imports from the United States jumped from €10,000 to €1.0 million (+10,104%), and imports from Bosnia and Herzegovina grew from €19,000 to €269,000 (+1,288%). These flows remain small in absolute terms, but their rapid growth — combined with high coefficients of variation (Serbia CV = 0.89, US CV = 1.14) — indicates an emerging but still unstable import diversification. Meanwhile, imports from Israel and Switzerland declined, the former by 71.5%.

Import partner details are available at Partners breakdown.

Italy, Poland, and Ireland recorded the fastest export growth among EU members

Within the EU, the top exporting member states all grew their shipments, but at very different rates. Italy more than doubled its exports (+145.5%, from €129.2 million to €317.1 million), making it the single largest EU exporter by 2025, overtaking Germany. Poland's exports also more than doubled (+106.3%), reaching €166.2 million, while Ireland's surged by 214.7% to €87.8 million. Germany (+29.0%) and Denmark (+49.2%) grew more moderately. Italy and Spain also rank among the most specialised EU producers of CN 1601 products, with revealed symmetric comparative advantage (RSCA) scores of 0.30 and 0.39 respectively, joined by Austria (RSCA = 0.52) at the top of the specialisation ranking.

EU member state contributions can be explored at Reporters breakdown.

Trade concentration evolved differently for exports and imports

The Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) for export value rose modestly from 3,556 to 4,077 (+14.7%), indicating a slight increase in export concentration — consistent with the growing dominance of the UK market. By contrast, import concentration declined from 7,131 to 6,523 (−8.5%) on a value basis, and from 8,436 to 7,322 (−13.2%) on a volume basis, reflecting the gradual diversification of import sources away from near-total UK dependence.

Concentration data is available at Concentration analysis.

Conclusion

Over the 2015–2025 decade, the EU's external trade in sausages and similar meat preparations (CN 1601) was characterised by robust export growth, a widening trade surplus, and persistent price inflation. Export values grew by nearly 80%, but this was driven almost entirely by rising unit values (+63%) rather than by significantly larger physical volumes. The United Kingdom remained overwhelmingly the EU's dominant partner, absorbing roughly two-thirds of all exports and supplying the majority of imports, with a notable Brexit-related price shock detected in 2017.

Beyond the UK relationship, the period saw meaningful geographic diversification: the United States emerged as a fast-growing destination, traditional African markets like Angola contracted sharply, and Western Balkan countries became increasingly important trade partners. Among EU member states, Italy, Poland, and Ireland emerged as the fastest-growing exporters, while Austria, Spain, and Italy demonstrated the strongest production specialisation. Import concentration declined as new — though still volatile — suppliers entered the market.

Overall, the EU's sausage trade position strengthened considerably over the decade, combining strong net export performance with gradual market diversification, even as rising input costs and unit values reshaped the economics of the sector.