The Spanish meat sector is making progress in strengthening its trade relations with Algeria, a market that is becoming increasingly important for Spanish exports of beef, sheep and goat meat.
The Spanish Sheep and Goat Interprofessional Organisation (INTEROVIC) led a trade mission to Algeria from 4 to 6 October, carried out in collaboration with PROVACUNO and with the participation of a broad representation of Spanish institutions and companies.
The initiative aims to strengthen relations between the two markets, encourage direct contact between companies, institutions, importers and distributors, and move towards stable, long-term trade relations.
One of the main outcomes of the mission has been the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between PROVACUNO, INTEROVIC and the Algerian Interprofessional Federation of Red Meat (FNIVR), an organisation representing professionals in the sector and acting as an interlocutor with the Algerian Administration.
The agreement establishes a framework for cooperation and communication between the organisations to promote trade and the exchange of technical knowledge, sector promotion and ongoing dialogue between Spain and Algeria.
Cooperation to facilitate trade
Among the objectives of the Memorandum is to promote the exchange of statistical, market and regulatory information, as well as to organise bilateral meetings, trade missions, technical conferences and other events that facilitate contact between Spanish and Algerian operators.
The agreement also aims to encourage future trade agreements between Algerian importing companies and Spanish exporters and to promote the exchange of best practices in areas such as animal welfare, animal health, traceability, product quality and food safety.
The cooperation also includes the establishment of a schedule of meetings, regular communication between the organisations and joint participation in events and trade missions.
During the meeting held in Algiers, the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between INTEROVIC, PROVACUNO and the Algerian group AGROLOG has also been planned, thus reinforcing the commitment to expanding cooperation between the meat sectors of both countries.
Significant Spanish business representation
The mission included 34 accredited members of the Spanish delegation, including 18 business representatives and ten Spanish companies: Ganados Macuto, Cárnicas Coviher, Cárnicas Tebi, Deovino, Ovejas y Corderos, Soluciones Cárnicas Levantinas, COVAP, Ovinos Manchegos, El Moreno and Matadero de Orihuela.
The Spanish delegation was headed by Raúl Muñiz, president of INTEROVIC, and Tomás Rodríguez, director of the Interprofessional Organisation, together with representatives of PROVACUNO and ASOPROVAC. The Spanish Ambassador to Algeria, Ramiro Fernández Bachiller, also participated, along with representatives of the Economic and Commercial Office of Spain in Algiers.
On the Algerian side, the meeting brought together authorities linked to foreign trade, agriculture and veterinary services, as well as the main organisations in the meat sector, importers and distributors. In total, around 60 participants from Algeria were accredited for the event.
The business agenda included B2B meetings between Spanish companies and Algerian operators, designed to transform institutional rapprochement into commercial contacts and concrete business opportunities.
Algeria gains importance as a destination for Spanish meat
The Algerian market is becoming increasingly important for the Spanish meat sector. In the case of beef, Spanish exports to Algeria have experienced strong growth, reaching nearly 27,000 tonnes per year, representing approximately 10% of total Spanish beef exports.
Algeria has also become a particularly important destination for the sheep and goat meat sector. Foreign trade data for 2025 places the North African country as the second-largest market for Spanish sheep and goat meat, after France, in a context of strong growth in sales to non-EU countries.
Geographical proximity, together with Spain’s production and export capacity and the guarantees provided by the European model in terms of food safety, traceability, animal health and animal welfare, place Spain in a favourable position to continue strengthening its presence in this market.
The strategy promoted by the interprofessional organisations seeks precisely to evolve from a relationship based solely on buying and selling operations towards a model of stable cooperation between operators in both countries, based on mutual knowledge, trust and continuity in trade relations.
