The French sheep and goat meat supply chain stands out through a declining production (a sheep flock that has been shrinking for a long time), a strong dependence on imports — France only covers about half of its sheep meat consumption, mostly lamb, through purchases from the United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain and New Zealand — and a niche goat meat market (kid meat, marked by the Easter seasonality). Sheep meat consumption is steadily declining, from ~5 kg/inhabitant/year in the 1990s to ~2.2 kg in 2023. The chain articulates livestock farming, slaughtering and cutting, co-product processing and multiple recovery routes, mainly in human food. It also plays a role in supplying co-products for rendering, biomaterials (hides and skins) and other non-food uses, while being strongly integrated into international trade.
