Key Takeaways
- ▸France's pet food market reached €4.8bn in 2025, up 23% since 2021
- ▸France produced 1.84 Mt and exported 48% — 877,400 tonnes
- ▸Pet food exports were worth €2.2bn, a trade surplus above €1.1bn
- ▸The mix is 69.3% dry, 28.2% wet and 2.5% treats
EUROPE PET FOOD WATCH · Nº 3
France doesn't just feed its own cats and dogs — it feeds a large slice of Europe's. The French pet food market was worth €4.8 billion in 2025, and its factories run well beyond domestic appetite.
The headline for suppliers is the export ratio: 48% of French production — 877,400 tonnes — is sold abroad, worth €2.2 billion and generating a trade surplus north of €1.1 billion. France is a manufacturing hub first and a consumer market second, and hubs are where raw-material demand concentrates.
The format mix — 69.3% dry, 28.2% wet — matters more than it looks. Dry extrusion and wet lines pull on different raw materials, and a market growing 23% since 2021 keeps both hungry. A growing, export-oriented producer is exactly the customer profile an ingredient supplier wants on the other end of the phone.
The French footnote
France is also the market that historically asks for an extra national certificate on top of standard EU CAT 3 paperwork. It is a documentation add-on, not a wall — but it rewards suppliers who already run tight, audit-ready origin records.
The 4DW Angle
France sits squarely on our Europe lane: an EU CAT 3 destination with a big, export-driven manufacturing base. When a market makes far more than it eats, its appetite for imported raw materials is structural — the kind of demand a trading desk is built to serve.
▮ Frequently asked questions
How big is France's pet food market?
France's pet food market was worth €4.8 billion in 2025, up 23% since 2021. But France is a manufacturing hub first: it produced 1.84 million tonnes and exported 48% of that — 877,400 tonnes worth €2.2 billion — generating a pet food trade surplus north of €1.1 billion.
How much pet food does France export?
France exports 48% of its pet food production — 877,400 tonnes worth €2.2 billion — feeding a large slice of Europe's cats and dogs and running a trade surplus above €1.1 billion. A market that makes far more than it eats has structural demand for imported raw materials.
What is the format split of French pet food?
French pet food is 69.3% dry, 28.2% wet and 2.5% treats and other — a kibble-led market. Dry extrusion and wet lines pull on different raw materials, and with the market up 23% since 2021, both keep raw-material demand climbing for the suppliers behind France's factories.
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