Pet industry segments
The pet industry comprises of two major product categories: pet food and pet accessories and/or supplies. Although the pet food industry represents a large share of animal-related household expenditures, growth in the value of pet products and services also witnesses such a trend. Several countries in Europe have a large number of feed and pet food companies. Two of the leading pet food companies in Europe are German: Deuerer and Heristo AG, with approximately 721 million U.S. dollars and 700 million U.S. dollars in annual revenues in the pet food segment, respectively. The top pet food company in 2020 was Spanish Agrolimen SA with annual revenue of around 900 million U.S. dollars.Cats and dogs
The vast majority of European households are especially attached to cats and dogs. One of the immediate consequences of such a trend is the marked increase over the years in the value of imported cat and dog food in the EU, from merely 480 million U.S. dollars in 2011 to more than 1.5 billion U.S. dollars by 2020.As of 2020, an estimated one million people were employed directly or indirectly in the pet food industry in Europe.