The people of Tenerife are consuming more and more meat produced on the farms of the Islands, especially cows, goats and sheep. Three out of every ten kilos of meat food –except for chicken– that each Tenerife citizen buys each year goes to local production, according to a comparison between the data provided by the Cabildo de Tenerife corresponding to 2022 and national statistics by community. Crossing these figures reveals that of the 15 kilos of beef, goat, sheep and rabbit that each Tenerife person buys each year, 4.2 come from the Archipelago.
Last year closed with a notable rise in the consumption of local cow, goat and sheep meat in Tenerife, motivated according to the Councilor for Agriculture and Livestock of the Cabildo, Javier Parrilla, “by the increase in demand and the high competitiveness of the country’s meat.” At a global level, according to the data provided yesterday by the Island Corporation in a statement, the consumption of local meat in Tenerife reached 4,162,653 kilos in 2022, which is a slight decrease compared to 2021, when 4,272 were recorded. 702 total kilos (2.5% less). The increase of 17% in the consumption of beef (1,236,196 kilos), 30% in the consumption of goat meat (76,868 kilos) and 94% in that of sheep (32,036 kilos) stands out.
Of the 76,868 kilos of goat production, 16,887 were kid meat, which represents more than 20% of the total, while of the 32,026 kilos of sheep produced, 13,660 corresponded to lamb (42.6 percent).
Parrilla’s explanations
“The upturn in the consumption of local goat and sheep meat not only responds to the increase in demand by citizens and large marketers, but also to the increase in Kosher establishments and butcher shops, which do not consume pork or beef,” he explains. Javier Parrilla. “In addition, in the case of the sheep and cattle sectors, it is important to highlight that new farms have been created, boosting the island’s supply and responding to growing demand,” he qualifies.
At a global level, the slight decrease in meat consumption on the Island responds to the reduction in pork production (10% less) and the fall in the consumption of rabbit meat (3.8% less). The island councilor emphasizes, however, that compared to 2019, meat consumption has increased by almost 8 percent (from 3,881,403 to 4,162,653 kilos). “And all this despite the fact that we are going through a very complicated world scenario, with a panorama marked by the covid-19 health crisis and the inflation of food, fuel and energy as a result of the war in Ukraine,” he details. he.
The island manager also stresses that “the large marketers are betting on the acquisition of fresh meat from the island, not only because of its quality, continuity and freshness, but because currently local goat and beef meats are better valued and are very competitive.”
