In 2024, Ukrainian meat processing enterprises increased the purchase of farm animals by 11.5% compared to the previous year, reaching a total purchase volume of 2.107 million tons. This indicates a significant increase in activity in the agri-food sector. According to the State Statistics Service, the increase in purchases is due to both increased demand for meat and changes in the structure of production.

In particular, in 2024, processing enterprises increased the volume of processing their own production by 5.4%, which amounted to 1.654 million tons. The largest increase is observed among industrial enterprises specializing in livestock farming. They increased the purchase of farm animals by 43.1%, which amounts to 444.2 thousand tons. This growth was the result of improved conditions for livestock farming and increased demand for meat products.

At the same time, while industrial enterprises are increasing supplies, households have reduced their purchases. They reduced livestock supplies by 18.6%, to 8.3 thousand tons. This indicates a tendency to concentrate production in large enterprises that have access to more efficient resources and technologies.

The main direction in meat purchases in Ukraine remains pork, the share of which in the overall structure of purchases in 2024 was 65.7%. Demand for pork is growing, and this is confirmed by a significant increase in purchases of this product. Beef and poultry have relatively equal market shares, accounting for 16.5% and 16%, respectively. However, changes in purchases indicate interesting trends that are worth considering separately.

In particular, the purchase of poultry meat in Ukraine increased fourfold to 72.6 thousand tons. This was due to changes in consumer preferences and increased production capacity in poultry farming. At the same time, the purchase of pork increased by 38.1% to 305 thousand tons, which is a significant indicator and indicates stable demand for pork as the main type of meat in the country.

However, the purchase of beef continued to decline, decreasing by 8.7% to 74.3 thousand tons. This may be due to various economic factors, in particular, an increase in the cost of production and a decrease in domestic demand for beef due to changes in the eating habits of the population.

Overall, the meat market in Ukraine in 2024 demonstrates significant changes: pork remained at the peak of demand, while demand for poultry increased and beef decreased. These trends are important for the development of the meat industry and the formation of demand for various types of meat in the country.