Foie gras: prices up for the end-of-year holidays even if production starts again

2023-10-20 16:08:36

Foie gras is a must on end-of-year holiday tables, ahead of smoked salmon or Yule log. Avian flu hit goose and duck farms hard in the winter of 2021 and spring of 2022, requiring the slaughter of millions of birds to stem the spread of the epizootic. Production then collapsed by around 30%. With the implementation of a waterfowl vaccination campaign on farms with more than 250 ducks, breeders hope to now be safe from a crisis and massive culls.

A production that is starting again

The results on the ground are starting to be felt. According to estimates from the inter-professional association (Cifog), the production of duck foie gras should increase by 20% in 2023, or around 9,800 tonnes. “Over the last ten years, foie gras production has paid a heavy price to avian influenza, losing 50% of its volumes. We were at 18,600 tonnes in 201”, however underlines Cifog.

However, production “still remains quite low”, according to Victor Guyon, Cifog engineer. In addition to a resurgence of the virus last spring, the sector is still suffering from a lack of ducklings and has imposed “cautionary measures”. Furthermore, to meet demand during the 2022 end-of-year holidays, breeders had drawn heavily on the stocks initially planned for the following year.

Prices up 5% for the holidays

According to the profession, from this table, consumers are likely to find the offer still unusually reduced on the store shelves. “It’s better to start early” because “it will still be a little tight in terms of volumes”, warns the general director of Cifog, Marie-Pierre Pé, recalling that the semi-cooked products “are already ready”. Only fresh products are made shortly before the holidays.

Last year, the 15% price increases recorded in December 2022 pushed consumers to buy in smaller quantities. In hypermarkets and supermarkets, slices of 100 g to 299 g represented 57% of purchases for the holidays compared to 51% over the period in 2021. This year, this phenomenon should be repeated. According to Cifog, consumers should expect an increase of “around 5%” for the foie gras that they will put on their Christmas or New Year tables. The inter-professional association mentions in particular still higher production costs and the cost of vaccinating ducks which must now be included.

In its reconstruction, the sector must still convince on exports. Vaccination of farms is often a reason for distrust for certain countries who fear that the virus will circulate quietly. Japan, which was the first export market for French foie gras outside the European Union, has suspended all its imports. However, export still represents 10 to 15% of volumes and 100 to 120 million euros in value. In 2022, the export figure had fallen to 80 million euros.